Tell Me
by Zoroark3496
Summary: She tries to sleep, but the image kept her awake. The blood she could feel on her hands kept them shaking. He makes the image go away, even after everything he what makes her feel calm.
1. Chapter 1

Tell Me

Skye's hands wouldn't stop shaking. The last few minutes of the mission replayed through her mind on an endless loop. She killed Donnie Gill. Just like that. She aimed and pulled the trigger. Mission accomplished. Good job. Move on.

May patted her on the back, gave her a small bit of reassurance. Coulson didn't say anything. Everyone gave her space. They thought that was what she needed. They were wrong.

She wanted someone to tell her she messed up. Someone needed to tell her that she crossed the line, that killing was something they were above. It's what made S.H.I.E.L.D. different from HYDRA wasn't it? That when HYDRA would cross someone off S.H.I.E.L.D. would try to help them.

Her mind kept debating this even as she showered off the sweat and grime of the mission from her skin. Once she was cleaned and ready for bed she found that the usual exhaustion that embodied her after every mission was nowhere to be found.

The image of Donnie's body falling into the water with a bullet hole where his heart should be remained in the forefront of her mind. It was 2:30 and she still hadn't fallen asleep.

Giving up on sleep, Skye pulled on a hoodie and grabbed her wraps from her desk drawer. Exercise usually helped.

Usually…

Since May started training her, Skye had been using a mixture of kicks and elbow thrusts in tandem with the boxing, but tonight she just threw punches. This wasn't training, this was just stress release. Skye would never tell Hunter where she learned to box whenever he asked. He was smart enough to know that May wouldn't use something so trivial in terms of fighting.

She started counting her punches.

One two, one two, one two.

Donnie's image flashed through her mind again.

One two.

The way his body fit in the scope of the rifle.

One two.

The way she adjusted her shoulder against the stock and planted her feet for the kickback.

One two.

The way it was so _easy _to pull the trigger.

One two.

The way her heartbeat never increased.

One two.

Like she was a seasoned killer.

One…

Skye slumped against the bag. Her breathing was steady but her bones were not. She pushed away from the bag to the small mini-fridge in the corner of the gym. She opened a bottle of water and after wetting her dried throat Skye placed the bottle on the back of her neck.

She wasn't a killer. Killing people was bad, S.H.I.E.L.D. was good. Coulson was good. It was that simple. Except when it wasn't. May would always harp that there's never an easy answer, in that same knowing tone that W-…

_Don't think about him! _She harped on herself. Ward was never the answer. He was a murderer and a spy and a traitor. Nothing he says can be true. He was right about Creel and HYDRA's recruitment tactics, that's it! Nothing more, nothing about you, and certainly nothing about your father.

Skye's hands were shaking. She took the wraps off and tried rubbing her palms together to get some warmth into the cold bones in an attempt to calm her nerves. Looking at her palms, Skye still saw Donnie's blood coating her skin. She never laid a finger on him but she was the killer. The blood was on her hands whether she liked it or not.

Before Skye knew it she was walking through the halls of the Playground. She grabbed a tablet on the table by the kitchen and approached a room.

Vault D

She didn't know why she was walking down here. If she cared about his comfort she would argue with herself not to interrupt his sleep.

Skye turned on the low level light in the ceiling of the room and walked to sit in the chair facing his cell.

She tapped a command and the opaque barrier came down and she saw Ward doing something she didn't think anybody would be doing at three in the morning: pushups.

It made sense, he wasn't exactly getting skinny sitting in there. He was a specialist and she's seen Trip go to the gym three or four times a day when he wasn't in the field. May said it was restless energy.

Ward paused his repetitions. He looked over and saw Skye sitting in the chair wearing sweatpants and a hoodie. She looked exhausted.

"What's wrong?" He asked before he could stop himself.

Skye looked around the room trying to come up with some reason that she was sitting in front of him.

There wasn't one.

"I, couldn't sleep." Skye half-lied. She couldn't but her reason may be different than the one Ward would come up with.

"Did something happen on the last mission?" He asked tentatively. He knew he had no right to know the mission details anymore. Skye was more than capable of defending herself now than she was a year ago.

"The Gifted's dead." Skye said before she thought better of it.

"You guys didn't get there in time." Ward assumed.

"We did." Skye argued.

Understanding washed over Ward's face. He took a second look at her appearance.

Her knuckles were slightly red, probably from punching the bag with more force than her wraps could protect against. The bags under her eyes were worse than when she was here this morning, meaning lack of sleep. Her fingers itched against themselves in a pattern resembling…

"No," Ward rasped as he ran a hand through his tousled hair. How had he not seen it?

"You shot him?" It was a question but it sounded more like a statement, a sad one at that.

"Yeah, I did." Skye affirmed.

"Are you okay?" He asked precariously.

"What did it feel like, your first kill?" Skye avoided the question.

Ward's eyes focused on the floor before he answered.

"Too easy. The instructors at the academy told me that taking a life was going to be the hardest thing I'd ever have to do, but it wasn't. Pulling the trigger felt too easy, too natural." Ward explained as he looked back at Skye.

"Do their faces ever stop haunting you?" Skye asked. She was so tired.

"No, you're going to see him every time you close your eyes. You can try to burn it out with alcohol, bury it with mission details, go to church for three months if that's your way, but you will always see their face." Ward told her.

Tears were gathering up in Skye's eyes now.

"Why won't anyone tell me that I did something wrong?" She asked with as stable a voice as she could manage.

"What do you mean?" Ward asked not understanding.

"May patted me on the back for it. Hunter walked away. Coulson wouldn't talk to me about it. _You're _not even telling me I did something wrong." Skye spit the last part out with more malice than she intended but she didn't care. Someone had to tell her that S.H.I.E.L.D. was better than HYDRA, that she was giving her life to some organization that would put a bullet in someone just for not wanting to work for them.

"I'm not telling you what you did was right or wrong. I'm saying that what you did was the best decision that you could have made at that point in time. That's part of the job." Ward kept his voice even for her, knowing she on the verge of breaking.

"I KILLED SOMEONE!" Skye screamed. The tears were pouring down her face now mixing with her rage.

"Skye I get your ang-"

"I'm a murderer. I aimed the gun and fired. I'm the one who put the bullet in him. I'M A MURDERER!" She was hysterical now.

"Skye, I get that it was difficult for you-"

"No!" She cut him off again. "It wasn't difficult! I was ordered and I pulled the trigger like it was nothing."

The look Ward gave her made her chest tighten and her breath hitch in her throat.

"Coulson gave the kill order and all I did was shoot and breathe." Skye's voice calmed down considerably.

"I'm sorry that you had to make that call." Ward said with sincerity lacing his tone.

Skye picked the tablet up from the stand on her right and opened the security feed for the cell. She entered a few commands and the feed was replaced with some cat video on YouTube.

Skye stood from the chair and walked over to the barrier separating them. She tapped a few more commands and the barrier shut down.

Ward looked at her questioningly from the bed as the barrier shut down and stared at Skye expectantly.

Skye walked over to the bed and sat herself on Ward's lap. His arms wrapped around her waist automatically.

"What are you doing?" Ward asked with a faraway wonderment in his voice. Here was the woman he wanted willingly walking into his cell and sitting on his lap.

"Everyone is either lying to me or coddling me. You're the only one telling me the truth. I need that right now." Skye explained as she gently eased his upper body against the wall and laid against his front.

The hand that Ward had caressing her shoulders found its way to her hair. He strung his fingers through the strands in what he hoped was a soothing way. Ward didn't want to scare her off but he also didn't want her to do anything impulsive.

He thought back to the time he first killed someone. Ward had just graduated the academy and Garrett gave him a mark. The target wasn't anyone people would miss but it still shook him up. Ward remembered banging one his old classmates after downing a bottle of scotch to try and erase the person from his mind.

Skye pressed her face against the crook of Ward's neck and breathed his scent in. Her mind tried to fight it but her heart reminded her of what that scent meant at one time. Safety, warmth, comfort. Everything that Ward would try to not be she found in the way he protected her.

"I miss you." She said before she could think better of it. This was probably the only time they had to be completely honest with each other.

"I miss you too." Ward mumbled against her scalp.

"How do you get over it?" Skye asked quietly and Ward felt a wetness spreading across his neck and dampening his shirt.

"You don't, but you can learn to live with it." Ward told her as he brushed his lips against her scalp.

"Can I stay here tonight? I know there's probably some protocol against it but I can't sleep on my own right now. Please?" Skye looked at him hopefully. She felt like a small child but she didn't care. Ward made the images go away and she needed that.

"Of course, anything you want." Came Ward's automatic reply.

Ward eased her off his lap and sat her on the mattress. He bent down under the bed and pulled out the blanket that he kept under there. May and Coulson were harsh wardens but they weren't so inhumane that they didn't let him have a blanket. Ward usually just kept it under the mattress because it felt too comfortable, something he wouldn't let himself feel.

Skye took the blanket from him and ushered Ward to lay down on the bed. Skye laid herself on top of him with her ear pressed above his heart and blanket covering them both. Ward wrapped his arms around her shoulders and laid his head back against the pillow.

Skye let out a small content sigh that she hoped Ward hadn't caught.

"This isn't the first time you've had trouble sleeping is it?" Ward asked quietly.

"No, it just keeps getting worse. Between the missions and briefings and the training I feel like they're prepping me for a war that's already started.

"Don't tell Coulson or May about this, but it's probably been two weeks since I've had a decent night's sleep." Skye mumbled into his chest. The exhaustion her nerves had staved off came back in force making her mind foggy and her eyelids heavy.

"Sleep now. I'll take the heat from Coulson and May in the morning. You need to rest." Ward told her.

Skye nodded blearily against his chest. Sleep was already claiming her but she mustered the last of her energy to raise her head and press one tender kiss to his bearded jawline.

"Thank you." She said before she finally fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

People like You, People like Me

_If the gifted can't be convinced, then they'll take him out._

_Even if the gifted doesn't pose a threat?_

_A gifted that refuses HYDRA _is _a threat, and threats are taken care of quickly._

_If we can't take him in then we take him out, do you copy?_

_The threat's been neutralized._

_That's the difference between S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA._

_And that is exactly why HYDRA will win, because while a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is debating right and wrong, HYDRA's already taken the shot._

_Experience doesn't make it any easier, crossing someone off._

_How do you get over it?_

_You don't, but you can learn to live with it._

_Someday, someday you'll understand._

_No, I won't._

Skye's eyes snapped open when the sound of the rifle firing rang through her mind. Her chest was heaving and her breathing was labored. She moved to sit up but found herself pinned to something firm.

Skye's eyes glanced up and she caught sight of Ward's face still shrouded in sleep.

Despite her brain's arguments Skye felt her body losing the tension the nightmare wrought. She laid her head back against Ward's chest and listened to the sound of his heartbeat. It was soft and constant.

Skye glanced over the cell and made sure no one had caught them yet. If May or Coulson saw them Skye knew Ward could expect a beating and she'd have several hours of training and the combined cold shoulders to look forward to.

Skye felt Ward's arms tighten around her and she couldn't help the small smile that made its way to her face, a genuine smile, something of a rarity in the last few months. She raised her head and placed one more little kiss to the underside of Ward's jaw before snuggling back into his chest to catch hopefully a couple more hours of sleep before she had to leave.

"Skye, you need to wake up. Come on, no reason to sleep in." She heard Ward's soft voice in her ears.

"No, five more minutes." Skye mumbled burying her face in his chest to block out his voice.

"Skye, get up. Ward hands above your head." Skye's eyes snapped open at that. That was May's voice. May was in Vault D. May saw Skye laying on top of Ward. May saw that Ward's cell's barrier was down. May and Coulson saw the YouTube video on the security feed.

"May, I can explain." Skye began when she raised her head and her hands above Ward.

"I don't want to hear it. Just get out of that bed, and go upstairs. You're late for a briefing." May's voice was steady but Skye's been on the receiving end of that tone enough in the past few months to know it meant May was one step away from ripping someone's head off with her bare hands.

Skye did as she was told and could feel the small pangs of longing forcing themselves on her when Ward's arms were at his sides instead of being wrapped around her.

Skye wrapped her hands into the pockets of her hoodie and lowered her head in embarrassment as she walked stepped out of the cell. When she passed May she leaned close to her ear.

"It's not his fault. I came down here myself. I'm the one that shut off the barrier. I asked him if I could stay." Skye pleaded with May to understand.

"We'll talk about this later." May cut her off as she walked to the stand next to the chair and picked up the tablet. A few taps on the screen and Ward was again encased in the electrical cage.

Skye forced her eyes shut and kept the tears at bay. She walked up the stairs and headed straight for her room. She slammed the door shut and slumped down against it.

Her mind was reeling a hundred thoughts a minute and they all came back to the same question: What the hell was she thinking?

What was she thinking? She killed Donnie and she couldn't process it. She pulled the trigger and it was a clean shot. No one got hit with backsplash, she hit what she aimed for and the target fell. The only problem was that the target was a kid who was brainwashed and didn't even know what the hell he was doing!

Skye slammed the back of her head against the door. The pain helped jar some of the emotion out of her throat in the form of a small grunt.

A knock on the door drew Skye out of her thoughts and up from the floor. She ran a hand threw her tangled hair and took a couple deep breaths to alleviate what little stress she could.

May was on the other side of the door with a barely concealed disappointed rage behind her eyes.

Skye remembered the first time she saw that look in the last few months. It was after she pushed herself too hard during one morning of training and had to wear a wrist brace for a couple of weeks because she punched the bag too hard and fractured her wrist.

"Sit down." May ordered as she took a seat in the chair next to Skye's small desk. Skye sat on the bed and waited for the incoming lecture.

"What were you thinking? You could have been killed and he would have escaped." May said bitterly.

"I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry." Skye apologized.

"Ward said you were having trouble compartmentalizing. If that was the case you should've come to me or Coulson. We would've helped." Skye scoffed at that.

"What?" May asked annoyed.

"I couldn't go to you or Coulson." Skye said under her breath.

"And why not? What made it so impossible to consider that Coulson or I could've helped you?" May was starting to get pissed.

"Because I can't be weak anymore." Skye said quietly.

"You weren't being weak. You're only human." May tried to reassure. She didn't really do the whole "boost their morale thing" but here lately she's done many things she never thought she would do.

"Skye, no one expected you to be fine after taking that shot. I just thought it would be easier to give you space." May relented.

"I didn't want space. I wanted someone to tell me that I didn't just shoot a kid who couldn't control what they were doing with as little a push as 'Coulson told me to'. I couldn't ask that of you. I couldn't ask that of Coulson because you would've thought I was weak." Skye said dejectedly.

"No we wouldn't have-"

"Being weak is what got a gun shoved in my face at Quinn's party. Being weak was letting my guard down with Miles and not checking to make sure he hadn't sold us out." Skye's voice was raising with each example and her temper was flaring. As she stood from the bed all of the emotion bubbling in Skye's stomach turned to a quiet dull rage.

"Being weak is what got me shot. Being weak was what had me defenseless when Ward turned on us back at Providence. I can't be weak anymore." Skye finished brokenly.

"You're not weak, Skye." May tried to reason with her.

"Yes, I am. I was weak because I walked into that killer's cell and let him hold me all night. I am weak because I couldn't remember everything he's done because all I could think about was how _nice _it felt to sleep in his arms." An angry tear leaked out of Skye's otherwise dead eyes.

"You're not weak for that, Skye." May lightly spoke as she tenderly caressed Skye's cheek and wiped away the tear with the pad of her thumb.

"We're supposed to be better than him. I called him weak for doing everything Garrett told him to, but what was my excuse?" Skye asked dejectedly.

"That's the thing about fighting in this world, Skye." May tentatively put an arm around Skye's shoulders and sat her back down on the bed.

"Soldiers like Ward exist on both sides. They're the ones that take the kill shots and collect information through whatever means they have. People like you aren't meant for that."

Skye raised her head and stared at May. Was she really justifying Ward's actions? May was probably the most pissed off out of everyone when they found out about Ward.

"People like you are the dreamers. You give the soldiers meaning to their orders. When they kill they think of people like you. They justify that every enemy they kill leaves people like you a little more protected." May finished.

"I'm not that weak little girl anymore, May. I'm a field agent. I get my orders and I follow them, without question. Maybe that's just who I am now." Skye spoke with a low tone and a vacancy in her voice.

"I'm taking you off the active roster for a little while. Lance can pick up the slack until you get things sorted out." May said before standing to leave.

"No," Skye's defiance was a surprise for once. She rarely argued anymore, and when she did she gave up far quicker than she used to.

"Excuse me?" May said in hopes of squashing this small rebellion. Skye didn't need to be on missions, she needed time to cope.

"I'm not sitting out on the mission. Now what is it?" Skye stood from the bed and walked to her small closet to grab her gear.

May released a deep sigh and waited patiently for Skye to start checking the clasps and hooks in her vest before answering. When Skye looked at her expectantly, May knew that she was serious.

"Coulson wants us to grab an O-8-4 out of Pakistan. The locals are calling it a meteor but three people have died within its proximity since it was discovered. Our job is to get it and silence the locals before the U.S. or Interpol get a hold of it." May rattled off the details like they were words from a book.

"What do you need me to do?" May was shocked by how easily Skye seemed to fall into the soldier persona. Maybe Skye wasn't a dreamer after all.

"Help Trip run interference with the local police and then scrub records of the O-8-4 from the internet." May explained.

"Yes, Ma'am." Skye brushed her off as she hurried to change out of the sweatpants and hoodie and into her tactical suit.

"We leave in 10." May told her as she left the room.

Skye rechecked her vest and gloves. She made sure her spare magazine for the ICER was accessible and she tested the sites on her gun. May carried a duffel over her shoulder and passed it to Skye who laid it at her feet.

"I need you on over-watch. Trip will try to keep the locals from disturbing the site but if they get passed…" May trailed off hoping she didn't have to explain the full detail of Skye's assignment. Coulson nearly made her sick when he told her the plan the first time.

"I take them out, I've got it." Skye put on a smile and tried not to think about it too much.

May nodded her confirmation and walked up the ramp of the BUS to the cockpit. Skye picked up the duffel and walked up the staircase to the Command Center.

She unzipped the duffel and pulled out the pieces of the sniper rifle. The assembly of the gun took less than two minutes and Skye tried not to think about how Ward would've had one of those shy smiles at her time.

Skye pulled the hammer back on the rifle and pulled out the box of ammo in the duffel. She started sliding in round after round. As she got to the fifth round she dropped the bullet.

Her hands were shaking. She couldn't make them stop. Her mind flashed back to the boat; to the shot firing; to the blood spurting out of Donnie's chest.

Skye slammed her hands down on the table. She took deep breaths trying to steady her erratic breathing. She heard footsteps enter the room and someone bend down to pick up the round she dropped.

"You alright?" She heard Lance ask. She wanted to scoff but she knew Coulson would disapprove.

"I'm fine." Skye answered quickly. Lance handed her the round and she quickly put it in the chamber of the rifle.

Lance just looked at her. She felt the guilt rise out of her chest and manifest in her hands shaking and a light sheen of sweat forcing itself to the front of her skin.

"They say that soldiers are soulless entities that only know war and strife." Lance said out of nowhere. Skye looked at him wanting to get his point out of the way so she could finish prepping for the mission.

"That's a load of bullocks. Killing effects soldiers just as much as anyone. The ones who aren't effected, they're not soulless, just broken." Lance looked at her with a knowing gaze. Skye didn't have to think too hard to understand what he was getting at.

She was the broken one. She was the one who didn't have the reaction to killing someone. She was the one who could just follow an order without protest. Lance could kill, he has killed according to what Skye could dig up on him, but he still protested orders seemingly every day.

Lance spared her one last glance and looked like he was going to say more, but the color leaving Skye's face stopped him.

"At the risk of losing my ass, are you ok?" Lance spoke softly. He was an ass but he wasn't an idiot. He knew Skye was fragile right now, even if she didn't.

"I'm fine." Skye choked out. She didn't need or want anyone's pity. She had a job to do and people weren't letting her!

Skye's hands were still shaking slightly and she curled her fists to make them stop. She wasn't soulless! She just followed orders, it wasn't her choice or her fault! It was Coulson's order, what was she supposed to do?

Skye clamped the sight on the rifle and screwed on the suppressor before she took off for the seats in the cargo hold.

The weight of the rifle in her hands felt heavier than it did the last time she held it. Skye blamed it on the suppressor and the bigger scope. May apparently thought that a night-vision-thermal hybrid was better than the regular scope she used last time.

_They know what they're doing, Skye. Just trust them. _Skye told herself.

Skye attached the sling to the rifle and put around her shoulders. She flicked her hood up and waited for the BUS to land.

Pakistan wasn't remotely what Skye pictured it to be, not that she was going to go exploring right now. She peered through the sight on her rifle and took mental notes on the people around the AO.

Skye scanned back to where Trip was and held her breath. He was talking to someone, Skye couldn't tell who it was but the night-vision let her see the outline of a hat. It looked like the kind of hat Skye had seen ship captains wear so she assumed it was probably a Lieutenant.

The man was angry, that was something Skye could see clearly. He was throwing his arms yelling something indistinctly at Trip. Trip was doing his best to calm the man down. He wasn't doing a very good job.

"Do I need to take him out?" Skye spoke into her earpiece. No one could see her. She was shrouded in the bush of a tree about thirty feet up.

"No, it's fine. Trip's got it, but keep your eye on the perimeter." May spoke calmly through Skye's ear.

Skye scanned the area again and found a couple of teenagers trying to sneak in. Skye flipped the safety off of the rifle. She was going to kill them.

Lance walked into her line of sight at the last second and shooed the kids away. Skye released a breath she didn't even know she was holding.

Skye brought her sight back to Trip and saw that he was making no progress. The man was still yelling at him and trying to force his way passed.

Skye was interrupted by a slight beeping on her wrist. Her heart monitor was showing her pulse, 95bpm. She took a small, steadying breath to ease her heart. She could make it out of this without killing someone. She could. It wasn't going to be the hardest thing in the world.

Except when the general-guy shoves Trip out of the way and Skye remembered that there was no spare ICER ammo in the base before they left so everyone's using actual guns.

Great.

She kept the sight of the rifle zeroed in on the man and waited for May or someone to take him down so she didn't have to pull the trigger.

"Skye," May's voice crackled in her ear. "Take him out; we're not finished yet."

Skye pulled the trigger.

It was easy, doing it with someone else telling her to instead of using her own judgment. It made the act somewhat cleaner in her mind. Maybe if she only did it when she told to she would be able to keep her hands clean?

"Nice shot." May congratulated before Skye saw Lance shuffle the body over his shoulders and start walking it over to the nearby ditch.

Skye moved her sight to scanning the perimeter and chambered the next round. The casing of her kill shot struck the branch with a clicking noise, the only noise she could hear in the dark Pakistan night.

She lifted her wrist from the barrel and checked her watch, 61bpm, great.

"Okay, we've got we need. We're pulling out. Skye, cover our exit." May ordered quickly.

"Copy that." Skye spoke automatically. She followed May through the sight of her rifle as May walked through the alleyways of a few abandoned houses with Lance and Trip in tow.

Skye started her descent down the tree and back to the BUS once she saw May and the others make their way up the ramp.

Skye strapped herself into the seat closest to the ramp before takeoff. Trip was moving the O-8-4 to the back of the plane while May busied herself with the preflight checks.

Skye pulled the hammer back on the rifle and checked her remaining rounds, 4. Only one kill this mission. It was only one kill last mission.

"Expecting trouble in the air?" She heard Trip ask as he sat down next to her.

"Nope. Just checking my rounds. You never know." Skye spoke with ease. The front was easy to put on. No one needed to see her problems. It wasn't important. The mission was important. Fitz needs a safe world to live in and Coulson needs all the soldiers he can get. She would do both.

"Thanks for getting the General. He just brushed past me and I didn't have an ICER. Sorry you had to take that measure." Trip was sorry. She didn't need him to be sorry nor did she want him to.

"It was nothing. You would've done the same." Skye put on a tight smile. She didn't need this. She didn't need people worrying about her. She got her issues out last night and if needed she would do it again.

It was all Ward was good for now besides information anyway. Something she could use to relax her nerves. The only flaw with that was Coulson wouldn't approve and it didn't look like May was going to anytime soon.

Trip nodded at her before standing and making his way to the top of the BUS. Skye pushed the hammer back on the rifle and heard a round insert itself in the chamber. She laid the butt of the rifle at her feet and gripped the barrel with more force than she was aware of.

Her body was reacting to the kill the same way it did last time, calmly. Her mind didn't plague her with the images of the body dropping like it did with Donnie.

_I guess May was wrong, it does get easier the more you do it. _Skye thought sadly as she relaxed her grip on the rifle.

The BUS landed in the PLAYGROUND and the other agents were abuzz with activity. Trip stepped off the BUS with the O-8-4 and May in tow. Lance walked off with a dolly holding a couple boxes.

Mack and Fitz were standing in the lab waiting for Trip to let them take a look at the O-8-4. Skye saw how Fitz's hands were moving more coherently than they were the week before. It brought a small smile to her face. Her little brother was doing better.

"Agent Skye," Someone spoke behind her. Skye turned to look at them and saw it was Koenig.

"Director Coulson wants a word with you." He spoke bristly. Skye hoped he didn't see how her eyes lit up at hearing that.

"On my way." Skye replied automatically.

Coulson's office was similar to the one he had on the BUS, littered with memorabilia that belonged in a museum.

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" Skye spoke timidly as she opened the door.

"Yes, come in." Coulson gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

Skye sat down stiffly and tried not to think too much on finally getting a one on one with Coulson.

"We need Ward's help on a mission." Coulson spoke in a business like tone. This ordeal was actually business to him.

It wasn't to Skye. It was one of the few rare times she got to talk to him, but he had a mission for and those came first.

"I'll go down to the Vault to see what I could get." Skye wasn't thrilled to speak to Ward again but she knew better than to question her orders.

"We don't need Intel, we need Ward to accompany you on the mission." Coulson spoke slowly, gauging Skye's reaction.

Skye blinked in recognition to Coulson's words. She was going to be working with Ward? They were going let them near each other without a barrier between them?

"Why?" Skye tried to keep her exasperation out of her voice and remain the firm agent she's become, but it was failing because of what was being asked of her.

"He knows the identity of the target and he refuses to tell us unless we let him take the shot." Coulson rattled the terms off as though they were of little consequence.

"Target?" Skye repeated.

"We have reason to believe that a HYDRA operative is scoping out a venue for a meet. Ward already said that the person the operative would be meeting won't know who they look like until a phrase is spoken between them, "are you ready to comply?" Skye's head snapped up straight immediately at the mention of the code phrase.

"HYDRA's meeting a brainwashed operative?" Skye knew what the phrase did.

"Yes, and we're hoping that maybe if _we _can get to them first, then we can get something we can use against HYDRA." Coulson reasoned.

"Then why do we need Ward?" Skye still wasn't understanding the reason for bringing Ward out.

"Ward refuses to tell us how to spot the operative without being on site, _with you." _Coulson stressed the "with you" to her.

"Who else will be there?" Skye wanted to know if May would have her back on the mission.

"Ward's terms were 'no one but Skye, and if I see anyone else, then I take off.'" Coulson repeated.

"If he takes off, then wouldn't we just catch him?" Skye didn't even believe herself. She knew Ward was good at disappearing, it was something they shared in common.

"You know that wouldn't happen." Coulson affirmed her belief.

"Okay," Skye relented.

"Okay?" Coulson repeated.

"Yes, Sir. I'll take the mission. When do I leave?" Skye fell back into soldier mode to spare Coulson the hurricane of emotions whirling in her eye.

"Tomorrow morning. I also need you to make sure Ward's ready before you turn in tonight." Coulson finished the briefing.

"Yes, Sir." Skye spoke tightlipped.

"You're dismissed." Coulson waved her off before turning back to a file on his desk.

Skye hurried out of his office trying not look like a bat outta hell. She was going on a mission with Ward? Was that safe? Was that smart?

"Skye," May's voice brought her out of her thoughts. Skye snapped to attention and turned to face her SO.

"Yeah," Skye forced out.

"I want you to take this on the mission tomorrow." May said as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a small metal case.

"What is it?" Skye asked as she turned it through her fingers.

"Insurance, in case Ward tries something." May spoke with a venomous tone in her voice.

"Do you think he'd really do something with me there?" Skye was skeptical of Ward putting her in danger, he cared about her too much.

"Skye, regardless of his feelings for you, he's a Specialist, they're best at self-preservation and if he sees a threat to his life he's sure to take whatever measures he needs to make sure that he gets out of it alive." May warned her.

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on him." Skye spoke with fervor.

"Be careful out there, OK?" May urged.

"I will. I'm going to shower and get some sleep." Skye replied softly, not trusting her voice to be strong at that point.

May nodded her consent and walked away from her. May turned on her heel and made her way to the Vault.

Ward was doing pushups, something he found himself doing a lot of in here. Exercise was one of the only things he had to take his mind off his situation. He heard the door above the stairs open and moved to stand up and put his shirt back on.

"Intel after a mission? That's not like Coulson, what do you need to know Skye?" Ward spoke calmly before he turned around.

May looked at him crossly, not liking to see him.

Ward sighed. "So what's going on?" Ward asked with agitation in his voice.

"You're going on a mission, with Skye." May spoke quickly.

Ward's eyes lit up at that. "Really," He spoke with a disappointed disbelief. "You're going to let me out of here _and _I'm going to be in the field with Skye? What's the catch?"

"I need you to keep an eye on her, watch for any, _ticks." _May had to force the instructions out of her mouth. She didn't like the plan but she needed someone who could watch Skye without compromising the mission and Ward was the only other person she knew beside herself who could do that.

"Is this about the gifted she killed?" Ward spoke with a soft tone.

"Among other things." May affirmed.

"Whatever you need then." Ward agreed as he walked up to the barrier.

May took out a phone and pressed a couple keys on the screen and the barrier fell.

"Follow me and let's get you cleaned up." May spoke with a disturbing ease.


	3. Chapter 3

Good Little Soldier

May grabbed the tablet synced to the vault from the kitchen counter. No one else touched it save Skye and Coulson on occasion. The only device in the base that could control the settings of Vault D. Fitz using it wasn't even that farfetched, they left it open for anyone to take it.

The vault was dark. It didn't have much lighting and what it did have was abysmal for decent vision. Ward was sitting on his cot. May remembered looking at the security footage and seeing Ward sleep for only 2-3 hours before giving up on it and starting his morning workout.

May remembered walking in on Skye one morning when she was watching Ward's routine. May didn't miss the slight glossing in Skye's eyes or the tension in her shoulders. May didn't need to read her mind to know what Skye was thinking about, it wasn't like Skye got a lot of down time.

"Fancy seeing you here," Ward spoke with a distant voice. May never made a trek down here unless it was for the more "extreme" interrogations that Coulson couldn't stomach and Skye didn't need to know about.

"Well, Coulson needs your help." May explained.

"Really?" Ward asked in mock arrogance.

"Yeah, I don't get it either." May knew Specialists. They never got rusty. The training they went through made every move second nature. There wasn't a specialist alive that couldn't take on a SEAL team.

"So do I get some decent clothes or am I going to handle this in prison garb?" Ward joked. He wasn't happy about the situation but he had to admit he was curious about what happened to make Coulson want to take him out of his cell.

May tapped a few commands on the tablet and the wall dropped. "Come on then. Let's get you dressed."

"No cuffs?" Ward asked.

"I assume you're not dumb enough to try anything in a base where everyone has a gun and hates your gates, right?" May taunted as she made her way out of the vault.

"I guess not." Ward trotted after her and ascended the stairs.

May led him towards a narrow hall with a window that overlooked the alleyway the base occupied. Ward didn't bask in the first sighting of the outside world in a few months. He was a specialist, he knew what it was like to go without seeing much for long periods of time.

May opened a door and Ward saw a small dorm room type place with a twin bed and a closet.

"I moved your things after we got here." May told him. "I wasn't going to ask Skye to do it." She said the last part quietly with a hardness behind her eyes that Ward didn't miss.

Ward walked to the closet and pulled out some of his old clothes. He put on a sweater and a pair of jeans before lacing up his boots.

"Am I getting tactical gear or am I going stag?" Ward didn't want to push his luck but he needed to know how far the Team was willing to go with him.

"You're going to be armed the same as Skye. We don't expect her to be able to do everything." May spoke as though this were a normal occurrence.

"What aren't you telling me?" Ward placed his hands on his knees and refused to meet her eyes.

"Skye's not acting like herself. She won't talk to me and Coulson doesn't have time for her. I want you to make an assessment." May hated talking to him like this but she needed someone to get a sense of where Skye was mentally. All May knew was that she was spiraling and someone had to figure out what was causing it.

"You want to me to tell you if she's losing it." Ward concluded.

"No, I want you to tell me if she's turning into you." May retorted.

Ward stood abruptly and made his way through the door and walked through the hallway. He studied the pathways he walked down the first time and made his way back to the door to Vault D. He scanned the area and looked through the different paths. To his left was what looked like a kitchen/commons area. Beyond it was a staircase that probably went to Coulson's office.

Ward was about to make his way there when his senses alerted him to a presence on his right. A fist narrowly missed his face by fractions of an inch and in seconds Ward had his would be attacker pinned to the ground with no leverage to their limbs.

"Who the hell are you?" Ward quickly and quietly.

"Aren't I supposed to say that? You're the prisoner!" The man had a thick English accent. Probably straight from Britain if Ward had to guess.

"Yes, I am. I'm also being taken out of my cell for a mission with Skye and I need to know why May wants me to make an assessment on her." Ward explained.

The man stopped fighting him and laid his hands palm first on the ground. Ward stepped off of him and extended his arm to help him up. The man took it and both were now on their feet.

"You're the only one who hasn't seen her in the field aren't you?" The man asked carefully.

"Yeah, I've seen the bruises though." Ward replied.

The man nodded his head before he gave a careful response. "She's good, but there's something in her eyes now. I've only seen it a handful of times and everyone I see with it usually ends up either the most decorated soldier or dead."

"What have you seen?" Ward asked but he already knew the answer. He'd seen it in the mirror enough to know it by description.

"She's blank. Like a doll. The only time she seems to move with purpose is when May gives her an order. It's eating her alive from what I could tell. She won't talk to anyone about it though." The man recalled the events on the plane and in Pakistan, about the way Skye would put on a mask to keep people from seeing how messed up she's been for the past few days.

Ward listened with rapt interest. He didn't want to believe what he was hearing but he knew what was happening. Skye had her defining moment…and she lost.

"Ward," He snapped to attention out of habit when he heard May call. She trailed up from behind him.

"Hunter, can you get Skye and tell her to meet us in Coulson's office?" May wasn't really asking but she was polite enough to make it sound like she was.

"Of course, I am an errand boy after all aren't I?" Hunter voiced with a sarcastic wit that Ward only remembered hearing from Skye, but those days were long gone.

Ward followed May up the stairs and saw Coulson's office for the first time. It was covered in old pieces of furniture and antique collectibles, exactly how Ward pictured an office to look if Coulson had a say in it.

Coulson was sitting at the front of his desk absently leafing through a file. May cleared her throat and he looked up to see her and Ward standing near the monitor behind them. Coulson motioned for them to sit down.

"I take it you're ready?" Coulson asked with a tone that betrayed the bitterness in his eyes. Ward knew he was only making nice in an attempt to have Ward work with them willingly instead of by force.

"Why am I going with her in the field?" Ward asked slowly.

"Because I need someone who hasn't seen Skye operate in the field since the Hub. That's you. I need you to report to me any changes in her behavior, the way she handles the mission, etc. I'm afraid we've spent too much time with her to pick up on the subtleties. We're spread too thin as it is to let the mission go however, so we're using you." Coulson explained calmly. Ward thought he fell into the role of Director far too easy. The act of looking at operatives and missions in a faraway lens tended to make one favorable to the needs of the majority. Maybe Garrett's speech held some truth after all.

"Does she know about this?" Ward voices the question but he needn't have. He knows the answer already.

"No, and she can't." Coulson confirms his theory and Ward feels a pit of anger bubbling in his stomach.

"You expect me to lie to her?" Ward wasn't going to. They knew that.

"No, I fully expect you to tell her as soon as you're on site. I still need to know if she's changing however, and that leaves you as my sole means of doing so." Coulson talked with the fluidness of a seasoned businessman. In another life Ward thought Coulson could've been a CEO of some company in New York. Maybe he would work 8 hours a day and go home and see May.

"When do we leave?" Ward didn't like his parameters but they made sense. He was the one who could best decipher any changes in Skye aside from the obvious. He didn't like it, but he knew better than to voice that opinion.

"You leave in an hour. Skye will take you to the armory with May and you'll be fitted for the mission. Then May will take you to the site. I've arranged for you two to stay in a room under the guise of a couple out for a fun weekend in the city. Once you take out the target radio May for extraction." The details rolled off Coulson's tongue with seasoned ease.

"Yes, Sir." Ward found himself falling into familiar territory. Get the mission, complete the objectives, and get out.

Simple.

Plain and simple.

It didn't mean he had to like it.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm You and You're Me

Skye wasn't happy. The plan didn't make any sense. Why did Ward want to be in the field with her? There was no reason for it. Skye stopped her barrage of thinking and put on her Agent mask when she opened the door to Coulson's office.

She didn't miss the way May's eyes visually appraised her. The way Coulson's swept across her arms and legs hoping they were strong enough to run and shoot and fight like it was the only thing that would keep her alive.

It was.

Skye also didn't miss the way Ward's eyes lit up when she entered the room. She tried to keep her eyes dead, her body numbed to his gaze, but she couldn't. The spark was still there and that night in the cell didn't do anything but make it that much harder to be around him.

He understood what she was going through, that was all Skye knew. He understood what it was like to be in her position. But what could she do? S.H.I.E.L.D. was all she had left. The Team was the only real family she ever had.

Skye worked her ass off in training to protect them. She kept secrets from the public because it could expose them and that didn't need to happen. She killed her targets because they would hurt her family. There wasn't anything wrong with that. It was the best decision she could make with the hand she was dealt.

What was she doing?

Coulson gave them the briefing while Ward filled in the blanks as best he could. All he could really tell them were what tactics would be used. It wasn't that helpful but Skye wasn't angry for him not having anything more to say about them. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s had him locked in a cage for months, there was no way that he was going to know the names of their operatives now.

The mission was rather simple: kill the handler and find the HYDRA operative he was meeting. Ward was pose as the handler and get the operative to follow him to the Quinn jet where they would then restrain him and bring him back to base.

Killing the handler had to happen in private, which wouldn't be easy. Ward told them how the handlers were all trained to move through the crowds and avoid being isolated. That meant the kill had to happen fast and most likely in an alleyway.

Skye listened like the good Agent she was but her mind was having a hard time not going back to why Ward wanted to be on the mission. She couldn't see a reason for it other than just overpowering her and escaping. It's what she would do in his situation.

Did he want to see her fight? Did he want to see the murderer she's become?

"Ward, you'll be flying. Skye I want you to check in every hour. You miss one check in and I send in May to take over." Coulson brought Skye out of her thoughts. She nodded her head before the automatic "yes sir" came out of her mouth.

Ward remained quiet throughout the ordeal. He wasn't happy with Coulson asking him to keep an eye on Skye. Ward knew what they were really asking, was Skye finally showing a reaction to the drug or was it something else?

Ward knew the answer. It wasn't the drug. It wasn't that simple. It was them forcing her to become something he knew firsthand would eat her soul: an Agent. She wasn't that far off from being a Specialist. Her gear was packed in her duffel bag which she had slung over her shoulder. Her forearm bulged with new sinews Ward knew May was responsible for putting there.

May stood and led Ward to the armory. It was familiar, packing the Kevlar vest and lacing the holsters with everything he would need to fight a war. The magazines for the pistol felt cold in his hands but the gun was warm. The sights were calibrated long before he picked it up but Ward checked them anyway. It was how he could exhibit any form of control over the situation.

Once he was geared up May led him to the hangar. She was quiet through the entire briefing and even when he was in the armory.

"You're a little quiet," Ward noted.

"Nothing nice to say." May retorted.

Ward stayed quiet after that but May was still intriguing him. He expected her to be the least okay with this situation yet she was asking him to do a favor for her.

The Quinn jet was smaller than the bus but Ward expected as much. They weren't going to be staying in it for a week at a time. If all went according to plan they would be back around dawn.

May fixed him with one last glare before she went to check on Skye who was standing by a table in what looked like a workshop to Ward. She was packing up the parts of a sniper rifle and checking her own pistol. May touched her on the arm and Skye didn't jump despite her not seeing May coming towards her.

May and Skye shared a silent conversation that Ward couldn't hear but he knew orders when he saw them. May was telling her to do something. Skye gave her an incredulous look but quickly fell in line. She gave her SO a curt nod and grabbed the bag off of the table and walked towards the jet.

Skye gave Ward the bag and he raised his eyebrows expecting an answer.

"May wants you to set it up." Was all Skye said and walked up the ramp. She sat in the copilot's seat and waited for Ward to join her.

Ward looked at May like she had grown a second head and gestured to the bag. She just raised her eyebrows in a silent "what" posture. Ward drops the subject and makes his way to the pilot's seat.

Skye was quiet during the flight, something Ward wasn't too keen on since he needed to know where her head was at.

"Did anything exciting happen in Pakistan?" Ward broke the silence as they flew cloaked over the state of Washington.

Skye's shocked look told him that Hunter saw things she didn't want him to.

"N-nothing," she stammered lightly. Ward made a note that he could crack the mask if need be and actually talk to her normally.

"Are you sure? You can talk to me Skye, you know that." Ward pushed. He needed to know where she was at in her head before he let her get in danger.

"It was Donnie," Skye spoke quietly like a timid child.

Ward nodded in understanding. She was still bothered by what happened.

"You had to kill someone," Ward assumed.

"Yeah, but it wasn't hard. Why wasn't it hard?" Skye looked horrified at herself.

"Killing's a thing soldiers have to do, Skye. It's not difficult but it doesn't leave much choice in the matter." Ward spoke with the ease that came with experience of dealing with it.

"I don't want it to be easy." Skye spoke with a faraway voice. Ward knew she was flashing back to the kill shot.

"That's not your choice Skye. Killing's probably the easiest thing for someone to do." Ward unknowingly made Skye's eyes flash.

"Even for Coulson?" Ward expected that question. He knew how much she looked up to Coulson. It was the same way he looked up to Garrett. It was that longing for the familial connection they were deprived of as children.

The thing that worried Ward about it though was he knew how blindly following Garrett ended for him. How that kind of devotion would end for Skye he had no idea. It didn't look like she was going to be able to leave the game any time soon and that meant she would probably end up dead.

The thought made Ward grip the yoke tighter. He didn't need to worry about that when they were on the ground. He had to do the job right. That meant take out both the contact and the target before Skye could fire a shot. She didn't need the extra blood on her hands. It didn't suit her.

Ward found a large clearing in an unmarked forest near the more rural area of Washington. He put the jet down and made sure the cloaking would stay up before he left the cockpit with Skye following closely behind them.

They took the SUV to the city the target was meeting the contact in. They were going to be sharing a hotel room under the guise of a brother and sister meeting family for a birthday. The room wasn't anything overly nice but it suited their needs. Two beds and a bathroom with a table over in the corner. A couch sat against the wall next to the flat screen TV.

While Skye was setting up her equipment and making sure the media had no idea that S.H.I.E.L.D. was in the area Ward was busying himself with checking their weapons. He'd been out of the field for a few months but the habits he adopted during his time as a Specialist remained the same. He checked and rechecked the firing mechanisms of the guns and made sure there was plenty of ammo if they needed to shoot their way out.

He was puzzled at how much ammo Skye brought. She could've just been nervous or this wasn't just a sniper job they were doing. Either way, two targets didn't take 500 assorted rounds to be put down.

"Skye," Ward spoke up. She jumped when she was brought out of her bubble.

"What is it?" She spoke quickly. Ward must've interrupted something important.

"Why did you bring so much ammo?" Ward wasn't going to beat around the bush with this.

"What do you mean?" Skye seemed puzzled. How had they been teaching her to pack for a mission?

"We only have two targets, why do we need so many rounds for a sniper and two pistols?" Ward pushed.

"In case there's more. May said to always be prepared to face an army." Skye explained.

Ward nodded in acknowledgement. Skye returned to her task and Ward went back to checking the sights on the guns.

_So May's gotten that far in training, interesting… _Ward mused as he screwed on the suppressors for the sniper rifle and the two pistols.

"I'm thinking of calling in a pizza, sound good?" Skye spoke up from her computer setup.

"Yeah," Ward grunted as he finished his pushups. He stood and walked back to one of the beds to retrieve his shirt when he felt Skye's eyes raking across his body. He suppressed the smirk that so desperately wanted to plant itself on his face and turned to face her as he pulled the shirt down his torso.

"Something wrong?" Ward asked casually. Skye blinked hard a couple times to get her mind back where it needed to be.

"No, no nothing's wrong. What kind of toppings do you want?" She spoke quickly as though she were caught cheating on a test.

"Meat lover's be fine with me, but get whatever you want and I'll make do." Ward spoke easy. This situation wasn't something he was unfamiliar with. Agents who weren't on the best terms had to work together all the time before the Fall. It was just part of the job.

Of course, none of them had to work with the turncoats. They usually wound up in the Fridge. Now, the option doesn't even exist.

"Meat lovers it is then." Skye brought him out of his thoughts as she tapped the number of the local pizzeria on her phone.

They eat their meal in palpable silence. The clank of beer bottles on the small table the only real sound in the room. Skye wasn't willing to come forth with any words but that wasn't her fault, at least she didn't believe it to be her fault.

Ward didn't need to do pushups with her in the room. He could've at least waited until she was in the shower or something! She had work to do and Ward was distracting her from it. She was behind on breaking into the security cameras around the venue and she needed to submit a report to Coulson saying they arrived but no, Ward had to take his shirt off and work out.

She didn't blame him more than she blamed her brain not being able to separate work from pleasure. Ward was just Ward. He couldn't help the way he looked or the way Skye reacted to stuff he did.

"Is everything alright?" Ward asked through a bite of pizza.

Skye blinked a few times and her mouth opened and closed before she could think of a response.

"Everything's fine; just thinking." An uneasy grin made its way onto Skye's face.

"About…" Ward pushed.

"About how you got Coulson to let you out of your cage for a mission. And more importantly, how you got him to let me be here alone with you." Skye voiced her concerns.

"I didn't ask for this." Ward started. Skye looked at him in mock shock.

"May took me out of my cell shortly after you got back from Pakistan. Coulson wants me to do an assessment." Ward clarified.

"An assessment?" Skye repeated.

"They want to know how far gone you are. If you're still the same person you were before the Fall." Ward explained.

"No one's the same person after the Fall." Skye defended.

"True, but not everyone started gunning to be a Specialist." Ward countered.

"I'm not trying to be-"

"You've excelled in combat. I can tell by the definition on your arms and the way they sit. You've gotten better with guns I can tell by the small imprint on your shoulder where you rest the stock of whatever you've been using. And do I need to bring up the other night?" Ward detailed.

"They need me like this." Skye spoke quietly looking down at her feet.

"They need you like what?" Ward pushed.

"They need me strong. They need me able to fight. There aren't enough of us for me to sit back in a van hacking servers. I need to help fight the way to the servers. I need to help take out targets so May can get the objectives. I can't be weak!" Skye stood from the table abruptly.

She walked over to the couch and picked up the sniper rifle. She started checking the pieces and the ammo. Ward knew coping mechanisms when he saw them. Skye was trying to force the feelings to the back of her mind, occupying herself with tedious tasks and mission details.

Ward dropped the subject and started cleaning up their meal. He went and sat down next to Skye on the couch.

"I don't want to talk." Skye spoke dejectedly.

"I wasn't going to make you. I'm just trying to understand where your head's at." Ward apologized somewhat.

"Well, it's fucked up and I can't do anything about it." Skye spoke quickly.

"You could stop." Ward suggested.

"What?" Skye looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"You could stop fighting. Leave S.H.I.E.L.D." Ward clarified.

"I can't do that. I can't abandon them." Skye shook her head at the thought.

"Even if they're what's hurting you?" Ward pressed. He lightly placed his hand atop of Skye's while she was tightening the barrel on the rifle.

Skye stopped her motions midway. She didn't move her hand, not away from Ward's or closer to him. Her skin was heating up. She could feel something pricking behind her eyes. The tears were swimming behind her eyes begging Skye to let them out but she clamped them down. She couldn't be weak. Not in front of him or anybody anymore. She had to be cold.

Warmth got people killed. Warmth was what Fitz used on Ward and that got him thrown in the ocean. Warmth was what she used on Mike and that got her two bullets in her stomach. Warmth lead to pain, and Skye was tired of pain. She wanted to be numb. Numb like May. Numb like Ward.

"Please stop." Skye begged. Despite her force her voice still shook with emotions she wanted so desperately to lock down.

"Stop what?" Ward moved closer. He couldn't stop even if he wanted to, and he didn't want to.

"Stop being what I miss." Skye felt the tears break through their dam and cascade down her face.

"I'm right here, Skye. I'm not going anywhere." Ward was inches away from her face. She could feel his breath on her skin. It would be so easy to close the distance. It would be so easy to touch him.

Skye leaned against him instead. The rifle rested in her hands but the pressure was minimal. Ward wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She felt his lips ghost across her scalp and some feeling she sealed away a long time ago wrap around her chest and restrict her breathing.

"I don't want to do it." Skye sounded like a small child. She huddled closer to Ward's chest hoping he could make the job just go away.

"You don't have to, not anymore." Ward spoke just as quietly trying to avoid startling her.

"Yeah I do." Skye felt the tears fall down her face faster and start soaking through Ward's sweater.

Ward started running his hand across her back in a soothing gesture.

Skye felt ice cold.

Ward's warm hands kept rubbing across her skin leaving a trail of fire.

The tears were stopping. Skye lifted her head from his chest.

Her body was cold. Ward's was warm.

Skye pressed her lips to the corner of Ward's mouth. When Ward didn't turn away, she kissed him more fully.

Ward released a small growl as he threaded his fingers through Skye's shorter hair. He pressed himself against her urgently and Skye fell back along the couch. The rifle clanked against the table before hitting the carpeted floor.

Skye entwined her arms tightly around Ward's neck pressing herself flush against him. The only thing separating them were their clothes.

Ward left Skye's lips in favor of her neck. His lips left a burning trail on her flesh that had Skye's eyes flutter shut and her head tilt back to give him more access. When his teeth grazed her pulse point bluntly Skye couldn't contain her gasp.

Ward smirked against her skin and lightly nipped at the exposed skin making Skye shiver beneath him.

"Don't tease me; not now." Skye begged.

Ward pulled Skye up from the couch and into his arms. Skye wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and grinded against him. Ward grunted with no displeasure.

"Wait," Ward rasped. Skye smirked and started kissing and nipping and sucking the exposed skin of his neck with fervor. His pulse point became the victim of a rather harsh bite from Skye causing him to drop them onto one of the beds.

Skye felt a giggle leave her throat genuinely for the first time in months. She fisted her hand with Ward's scraggy hair and pulled him down to ignite another passion fueled kiss. Her tongue tangled with his in a cage match and Skye let her other hand wander over his sweater clad torso. She moaned her appreciations of his workouts into his mouth.

She slipped her hand under the hem of his sweater and forced it up in a silent order. Ward complied and raised himself from her and shed the offending garment. Skye unconsciously licked her lips when the sculpted plains of his chest came into her vision. Her core clenched almost painfully when she saw the tent in his jeans.

_So it's been awhile for him too… Good. _Skye thought wistfully as she shed her black t-shirt. Ward's eyes darkened with lust as her purple bra came into his vision.

Skye still had her legs wrapped around her waist and she put the training May put her through to good use and flipped them over. Skye planted her lips on Ward's with an animal's ferocity. Her body was finally feeling warmth and it didn't make her feel sick or guilty.

It made her feel good.

Ward wrapped a calloused hand around one of her bra-clad breasts and Skye threw her head into the crook of his neck with a strangled gasp. Skye went up to his ear and sucked the tender flesh into her mouth in retaliation and her blood heated hearing Ward's strangled moans.

Ward flicked a finger over one of her hardened nipples and Skye bit down harshly on his ear making him twitch beneath him. She licked the now beat red lobe.

"Sorry," She whispered. Her voice was raspy from her desire-filled breaths and she didn't mean it anyway.

Ward reached his hand behind her back and snapped the clasp on her bra with his forefinger and thumb. Skye raised herself from his grasp and removed the bra before flinging it across the room. The plastic in the silk hit the wall with a smack but Skye nor Ward were really listening to it.

Ward sat up with Skye straddling his lap and sucked a tender nub into his mouth where he lavished it with his tongue and teeth. Skye pressed herself against his head as his beard tickled her sensitive skin eliciting more moans and groans from the back of her throat.

When Ward turned his attention to her other breast Skye felt his beard rake across the skin between her breasts making her head spin.

"If you shave, I will fucking kill you." Skye gasped as he lightly teethed on her sensitive nub.

Skye couldn't take the minute pleasures any longer. She wanted more. She needed more. She placed her hands on his hard chest and pushed Ward down flat against the mattress. She trailed her mouth across his torso nipping and sucking her way downward. She made sure to spend ample time admiring his abs and licking her way through every crevice making Ward shiver and press himself against her.

When Skye got down to his jeans she couldn't fight the controlling smirk that made its way across her face. She deftly undid the belt and popped the button on Ward's jeans before pulling them and his boxers down. When his erection sprung rigid in the air Skye felt her breath get caught in her throat.

_No wonder May wasn't mad at him for the sex. _Skye thought wistfully as she took in the size of him. She licked her lips and in seconds any sounds Ward was making were silenced as she took him in her mouth. She went lower and lower until she felt him hit the back of her throat.

Ward's fingers were threaded through her hair and his hips bucked against her mouth. Skye had a smug smirk on her face as she hollowed out her cheeks and sucked. She worked him over until he was muted with the pleasure.

"Skye," Ward gasped. Mirth found a permanent place in her eyes at the sound of his strangled voice. She looked at him through his lashes and she felt a smug sense of satisfaction. His eyes were darkened almost black with pleasure.

"If you don't stop this game will be over faster than you'd like it to be." Ward warned.

Skye smirked. She released him with a popping sound and Ward jumped. He knocked her back to the mattress and attacked her mouth with his tongue. She could feel his erection pressing against her thigh and she dropped her hands from his shoulders to start removing her pants. She popped the button on her jeans and Ward took over from there. He pressed a kiss to her jawline and moved downwards taking her jeans and panties with him.

Ward pressed a kiss to the inside of her thigh. Skye was panting with the anticipation of what was coming and when Ward pressed his mouth against her slit she cried into the ceiling. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought that maybe she should try to keep her voice down for the neighbors' sake but as soon as Ward started trailing his tongue along her folds she didn't give a fuck about anyone else's discomfort. His beard scratched against her thighs and it rendered Skye almost mute with the pleasure… almost.

Ward pushed his tongue into her core and then replaced it with two of his fingers. Skye was rendered a loud mess of moans and shivering skin as her climax kept building upon itself. She pressed her hand against Ward's head and pushed him closer into herself.

When she came Skye screamed her thanks into the ceiling and effectively waking up every customer of the hotel. Stars shined behind Skye's eyes and she felt her heart hammering in her chest and her erratic breathing in her lungs.

Ward crawled back over and took her lips in a lush kiss. Skye sucked his bottom lip between her teeth and gripped his biceps with fervor.

"Are you done teasing me?" Skye asked with a knowing smile on her face. She knew he wasn't done yet.

"Are you sure?" Ward was sure she wanted pleasure but did she really want to do something so intimate with him.

"Yes. I'm sure." Skye spoke evenly. She wasn't turning back now.

Ward took his erection in his hand and rubbed it along her entrance coating himself in her fluids. Skye was shivering with the dull pleasure that was still flowing their veins and when Ward suddenly surged into her in one deep stroke Skye couldn't make a noise.

Ward just held himself there and let them adjust to the feeling. Skye was impatient though and flipped him over so she was back on top.

Skye started thrusting up and down and felt him fill her completely. She was moaning her appreciations and buried her head in his chest as she tried to thrust faster.

Ward took the initiation. He flipped them over and started thrusting with every amount of strength he could muster. Skye was still moaning and gasping at every in and whimpering at every out. Ward took her in a kiss in an attempt to quiet her down. He didn't need the other guests reporting them to the front desk and escalating the body count.

His efforts proved futile when he brought her to her second climax of the evening. She screamed with the pleasure and wrapped herself around him as tightly as she could as her walls fluttered around her erection.

Ward's own erection was not too far off but he lowered his hand to knee her clit between his forefinger and thumb effectively making her scream and shake a third time as a final climax claimed her.

Ward buried his face in the crook of her neck when he came spilling deep inside her. Skye still had her legs wrapped tightly around her waist effectively caging him inside her warmth.

Skye's mind was racing along with her heart. She couldn't believe she just did that. Ward was the enemy and she slept with him! Coulson was going to have her head. May was going to rip her a new one in the gym and Fitz wouldn't look at her ever again.

Why did she care? Ward was the only not asking her to reprogram herself. Ward was the only one who bothered to tell her how to deal with things. Why did she care what the others thought about her seeking comfort with the one man who actually _cared?_

Ward raised his head and looked at her with a steady understanding. He knew what it was like to have an entire life embodied by other people's wishes. He knew what it was like to want so badly a family that wouldn't turn their back on you. He knew why she fought like hell to keep that family and why she kept fighting.

The tears found a fresh reservoir and flowed down her face freely. She couldn't contain the bone rocking sobs that took her over.

Ward didn't speak. He just held her tightly to his chest and rubbed her back soothingly. Skye sobbed harder as the familiar warmth Ward put in her chest resurfaced against the lust and burrowed into her heart. She couldn't stop her body from shaking.

"Make it stop." Skye begged.

"I can't Skye. Only you can." Ward spoke quietly. He spent those months in the cell making peace with his demons. It may have ended with him trying to kill himself a few times but he came out of it with a clear mind. He made mistakes but there was one thing in his life he wouldn't regret. The woman he just made love to was having to learn those lessons herself.

Skye's shaking started to slow down. She wrapped her arms across his middle. She didn't care anymore. Skye was done fighting the comfort he made her feel.

They weren't that different. Not anymore.

They were the same.


	5. Chapter 5

A Means to an End

Skye flipped the bipod down on the rifle and laid it against the railing of the building. She could see the entire courtyard from here. The scope fell on Ward and she had to admit, he still looked nice in a suit.

She scanned the perimeter one more time. The courtyard was empty of their target. Only civilians walked through her line of sight. Some bought a hot dog others bought a pretzel and some just walked through.

Skye pulled her cowl closer down her face. She didn't need to be spotted before the target could be taken out. After that she had free reign to hightail it out of there. She firmed her boots to the roof and planted the stock in the crook of her shoulder.

The scope fell back on Ward and Skye found herself doing something she didn't need May's voice in her head telling her was dangerous: she flashed back to that morning.

_Skye's eyes opened groggily. She could barely see the sunlight making its way into the room. Ward's chest kept the light at bay._

_Skye felt his heartbeat thrumming calmly in her ears. It was the most soothing thing she had heard in months. Her eyes were heavy, silently begging her to let them close again. She happily allowed them to._

"_Skye, it's time to wake up." Ward's quiet voice penetrated her happy bubble. She groaned and pressed her head against his chest._

"_No, it's cold." Skye complained and pressed herself tighter against Ward._

"_Skye it's important. We need to talk." Ward's voice sounded grave. It was like he didn't want to talk about anything nice._

"_What is it?" Skye mumbled sleepily as her head lolled from his chest to the pillow._

"_The timetable's been moved up. We have four hours to complete the job and make our way back to the base." Ward spoke slowly and calmly, making sure Skye heard every word he said in her sleep addled state._

_Skye blinked slowly, the only confirmation Ward had currently that told him she was with him right then. She nodded her head slowly and Ward got out of the bed._

_Skye's eyes roamed appreciatively across his body and she silently wished that the mission could take a rain check for today so they could continue with last night's activities._

_Skye sighed quietly and got out of the bed. She grabbed her clothes and made her way to the bathroom. She wasn't shied away with Ward seeing her naked, far from it, but she needed to clean her face up a little._

_Ward was pulling on his sweater from the day before when he heard the click of the bathroom door closing. He sat down heavily on the couch with his boots in front of him and he started lacing them on his feet._

_Ward didn't understand what was happening anymore. He wasn't supposed to do what he did last night but how was he supposed to stop her? Skye wanted to do those things and he sure as hell wasn't going to deny her that, not when she was slowly falling apart._

_Skye splashed some cold water on her face to clear the remaining cobwebs from her mind. If the timetable would've allowed it she would beg Ward to stop at a coffee shop or something where she can get some caffeine. She was hungry too but she was better at fighting it off now._

_It was one of May's tougher lessons. Agents would sometimes have to go days without food and operate at optimal capacity. Skye had some beginner's skill with it from living in her van and the orphanage before that. Food was scarce for her already before she got on the bus._

_May made it a point to remind her that she wasn't running and fighting when she was in the orphanage or her van. That meant her body would be burning more calories than she was used to and she couldn't refuel like she did after the regular calisthenics._

_Skye snapped herself out of her memories and started pulling her clothes back on. She wasn't unused to going without a shower and wearing the same clothes for multiple days either._

_Ward pushed the pizza box and the beer bottles to a corner on the table and looked over the data on the computer. He wasn't a hacker like Skye but he could understand radars and topographical charts._

_The layout of the courtyard was simple. Skye would be on over watch with the sniper rifle on a rooftop adjacent to the bank. If anything happened Skye had the go to from Coulson to put a few rounds in the concrete to create a diversion allowing Ward time to get away._

_Ward's job was the one that required finesse. He had to find the mark in the crowd and get him isolated. After that he had to take the person out and hide the body. Past that he just had to wait for the target to show up._

_Skye stepped out of the bathroom fully clothed and grabbed her jacket and cowl from the chair opposite the one Ward was blocking while he was putting up the computer equipment with an efficiency Skye didn't think he would have for the stuff._

_He used to express his disdain for dealing with the components on the BUS because of their fragility and small sizes. Skye guessed Ward was more adaptable then she gave him credit for._

_Skye picked up the sniper rifle and started disassembling it so they could carry it to the roof of the courtyard building without arousing suspicion. She pulled the hammer back and checked the ammo, she had five rounds. Skye only had one target so there wasn't any need to bring the rifle with the bigger magazine._

_Once the rifle was packed away she closed the lid on her personal laptop and put it into a second bag._

_Ward picked up one of the pistols and put it in the waistband of his pants. He picked up the other duffel bag and started walking towards the door. Skye's hand grasping his wrist stopped him._

"_What happened last night, do you regret it?" Skye couldn't stop herself from asking. She hated not knowing._

_Ward shook his head and mumbled "not for a second" before freeing his wrist from her grasp and holding the back of her head. He brought their lips together in a soft kiss that had Skye's eyes fluttering shut and the rifle bag clanking to the ground._

_He withdrew before Skye could deepen the kiss but if the slight glassing in his eyes was any indication, he didn't want to stop._

_Skye's eyes looked the same. She cleared her throat rather abruptly and leaned down to get the duffel bag. She slung it back over her shoulder and started walking down the hall towards the lobby._

_Ward followed her down the stairs but when he saw her heading for the lobby he put his hand on her shoulder. She turned and looked at him expectantly. He nodded toward the rear entrance. Skye understood what he meant and fell in line with his steps._

"Skye, do you copy?" Ward's voice ringed in her ear through her comm. piece. She pressed her finger to it turning on the mic.

"Yeah, what's up?" Skye spoke casually. She couldn't see the target anywhere. People were moving through the courtyard at a brisk pace but none of them stopped or slowed down meaning they weren't looking for someone there.

"I have eyes on the target. He's by the sunglass kiosk near the bank entrance." Ward relayed.

"Copy that, eyes on." Skye replied as she trained the sight of the rifle on the target's head.

"Do I engage?" Skye asked calmly as she flipped the safety off on the rifle.

"Negative; wait until I get him in the alley on the left side of the bank." Ward ordered.

Skye rolled her eyes and put the safety back on. She shouldn't be taking orders from him. Coulson would have her head for letting him take charge on the mission.

May would have her head for being so casual with him. May didn't say much about their being paired up for the mission but her eyes made it clear how she felt. She hated it and would probably rather Ward spend the rest of his life sitting in his cell.

Skye didn't know where she stood with that. Ward's done bad things but Skye's learned some stuff in recent weeks. She learned that it isn't so clear cut in this spy stuff. People lied and killed for liars and killers. It was just what you lied and killed for that separated them.

Skye lied and killed for S.H.I.E.L.D., Ward for HYDRA. He disputed the brainwashing but Skye had seen enough movies to know that the victim rarely knew they were brainwashed, why would Ward be any different?

_Ward threw the duffel bags in the back of the SUV while Skye climbed into the passenger seat. She took her laptop out of her bag and started hacking into the security cameras in the courtyard._

_When Ward climbed into the passenger seat and started the vehicle Skye had just finished the hack into the cameras and also scrubbed all footage from the hotel showing their exit._

_Ward held off leaving the parking lot and let himself gather his thoughts._

"_Skye," Ward spoke slowly._

_She lifted her eyes from the screen and looked at him._

"_What happened last night, I stand by what I told you. You should leave S.H.I.E.L.D., they're killing you." Ward urged._

"_I can't leave them Ward. They're my family." Skye reasoned._

"_Do they know how much you're hurting?" Ward asked._

_Skye shook her head at that. May was the only one other than Ward who actually took the time to see how she was doing. Lance tried but Skye didn't trust the mercenary enough to let him in. It hurt too much to talk to Fitz with his brain injury. Simmons was in HYDRA apparently so there was no possibility of girl talk any night in the near future._

_Coulson knew, but apparently the only way he could see to help her cope was to send Ward along to make an "assessment" on her._

"_What does Coulson expect you to say in your, 'assessment'?" Skye asked quietly._

"_He wants me to see how you respond to a third kill it looks like. May probably wants to see something different. Past that, I assume this is something that will determine whether or not I'm more useful in the field or in a cell." Ward explained._

"_So it's a test for both of us?" Skye asked while she powered down her laptop and placed it back in the bag._

_Ward nodded his affirmation as he finally pulled out of the lot._

The target wasn't anybody special by looks. Average build and height; brown hair; wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Ward walked up behind him gauged the threat level before speaking.

"Are you ready to comply?" Ward spoke slowly and clearly.

The target stood rigid. He turned around and Ward caught a look at his eyes. They were dull and lifeless, signaling that they were now under the influence of their programming.

"Follow," Ward ordered. The target fell in line and went straight to the alleyway with him.

"Skye, when I give the order, neutralize the target." Ward spoke into his earpiece.

"Copy that." Skye spoke robotically. She followed them through to the alley. She kept the rifle sight trained on the back of the target's head.

"So let me ask you, what have you been up to lately?" Ward questioned the target.

The target blinked a few times, his eyes still dulled.

"I took out the family like Whitehall ordered me to. They gave up the location of the artifact before I had to kill the daughter. I killed them all to remove the evidence." The target spoke monotonously.

"And where is the artifact?" Ward pressed.

"The artifact is-is- I don't know." The target stuttered.

"Yes you do. Tell me. Compliance will be rewarded." Ward pushed.

"The artifact is in the storage locker in Manchester. Go to the bus station and look in locker #5." The target rattled off the information.

"Good to know. Skye, neutralize the target." Ward ordered.

Skye took a deep breath and held it, steadying her aim. She flicked the safety off her rifle and fired the shot. The bullet wisped through the air silently with nothing more than a sharp ping from the suppressor when the round left the barrel.

The bullet struck the target from the side of the head. Blood splattered on the pavement and the body fell with a dull thud.

"Thanks," Ward spoke as he bent down to pick up the body.

He threw it over his shoulder and walked over to the dumpster. Ward dropped it in the trash and clapped his hands together to rid them of the dirt.

"I'll meet you back at the SUV. Do you need help cleaning the roof?" Ward offered as he started walking away from the body.

"No, I got it." Skye spoke easily. She put the brave face on and picked up the shell casing that ejected itself from the rifle when she pulled the hammer back.

Skye disassembled the rifle in a time she hoped May would be proud of. She placed the pieces back in the duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder before walking over to the fire escape.

Ward pulled the SUV around to the front of the building and waited for Skye to throw her stuff in the back and get in. He saw her walking out from behind the building toting the duffel bag over shoulder.

Skye opened the back door of the SUV and threw the bag in. She climbed into the passenger seat and Ward took off from the curb. The drive back to the jet was quiet.

Ward looked over at Skye and saw that she was staring out the window with a lost look on her face. Her fingers were twitching against each other in her lap and her lower lip was constantly being bit down on by her teeth.

Ward pulled the SUV onto the ramp of the jet and turned off the engine. He opened his door and glanced back at Skye. She had fallen asleep on the drive back and Ward didn't feel the need to wake her until they got back to the jet.

He pushed her bangs out of her eyes and gently shook her shoulder. She startled awake and her eyes started scanning the SUV for danger.

Ward looked at her with concern lacing his features. Skye calmed herself down and got out of the vehicle. She left the bags and walked over to the copilot's seat in silence with her head hung low.

Ward shut the doors on the SUV and raised the ramp. He walked back to the jet and started powering up the engine and the instruments. All the dials read in the green zone. Ward fired the engines and the jet started rising from the ground.

The cloak had managed to stay up for the time they were gone and Ward kept it on for the flight back. He punched in the course for the PLAYGROUND and turned on the autopilot. He turned his seat to face Skye and leaned forward on his knees.

Skye was staring out the cockpit window and watched the clouds go by. They put her mind at ease like they did when she went with Ward to LA after Providence.

Skye had her knees pulled up to her chest and was hugging them tightly with her head resting on them. She felt Ward's eyes on her and she started shuffling in the seat trying to get rid of the discomfort.

"Are you OK?" Ward asked slowly.

"I'm fine." Skye brushed him off.

"You sure, I know you don't like doing that." Ward pushed.

"It had to be done. He wasn't salvageable." Skye reasoned. She felt a pit of guilt building in her stomach from talking about someone not being salvageable. She ended another life. It wasn't much of a life considering that it was a brainwash victim that couldn't control what they did but still, it was a person.

"It doesn't mean you have to like it." Ward voiced her fears.

"How are we better than HYDRA if we kill people like they do?" Skye asked quietly.

"We're not. Same tactics but different objectives." Ward answered.

"I don't want to keep doing this," Skye spoke with a child's shyness.

"But you don't want to abandon them." Ward finished for her.

Skye shook her head no as tears started swimming in her eyes.

Ward reached over and placed his hand on her shoulder. It wasn't much, but it was the most comfort he could offer her in the small confines of a jet.

Skye laid her hand on top of his and gripped his fingers tightly.

"If I asked you, would you stay? With S.H.I.E.L.D. I mean?" Skye asked. She knew he wasn't going back in the cage. To be honest she was surprised he didn't slip out after the job was done and disappear. She knew she wouldn't have been able to find him if he did.

"Do you want me there?" Ward asked quietly. Skye hadn't seen him this downtrodden since the bar in Dublin. Ever since she walked into Vault D he had a warm, calculating look in his eyes. They would shine brighter when she was there but they were calculating the odds of escape nonetheless.

Skye hesitated before answering. She wanted him there, yes, but for what? To hold her when she couldn't sleep? To fuck her when her mind needed to be emptied? To tell her that it was all going to be alright?

No, Skye wanted him there because she needed him there. She needed him around to be her voice of reason. She needed him around because he understands what it's like to let yourself be molded.

Skye's mind flashbacked to a moment in a cargo hold. To a girl handcuffed to a staircase and a man professing his affections for her. She heard him try to explain himself but unlike the girl handcuffed, Skye listened. Skye did understand what he was saying. She knew now. She knew what it was like to be in his situation.

She knew what it was like to in something so toxic that you could easily see that you needed to leave, but you couldn't. She knew why she couldn't leave S.H.I.E.L.D., so did Ward. She couldn't leave because that's where her family was. For better or for worse that's where she fit in. That's where she belonged.

Skye blinked and looked back at Ward, she saw Ward looking back at her patiently awaiting her answer. A lump of emotion sat in her throat as her eyes started gaining tears she didn't want.

"I need you there." Skye spoke brokenly. The tears started falling down her face and Ward couldn't stand her hurting anymore.

He pulled her out of the seat and into his lap where he cradled her protectively against his chest. Skye clung to his dress shirt and buried her face in his chest letting her tears wet the fabric.

"I'll stay, as long as you need." Ward promised her as he pressed small kisses to the crown of her head.


	6. Chapter 6

Shall we start?

Coulson whisked Ward away as soon as they were off the jet. Ward squeezed Skye's shoulder and she found a small smile playing on her lips before he fell in line with Coulson's steps.

Mack and Hunter started unpacking the jet and taking stock of the weapons back in the armory as May ushered Skye back into the lab.

Simmons was back. So was another tall agent that Skye didn't recognize but everyone called "Bobbi." Simmons gave Skye a once over and declared her in need of some sleep to get rid of any lingering effects of the mission.

Skye gave her a small hug which Simmons gladly returned. Skye knew Simmons was aware of what she did on that boat, of what she did to Donnie. Simmons gave her a reassuring squeeze before May took Skye down the hall.

Skye walked the short path to her bunk and sat down on the edge of her bed. May remained in the room with her and was waiting patiently for Skye to start speaking.

"What do you want to know?" Skye spoke quietly pointedly avoiding May's knowing gaze.

"Are you OK?" May asked surprising Skye.

"I'm fine according to Simmons, just a little jetlagged." Skye rattled off the lie with ease.

"That's not what I meant. This was an assassination. There wasn't any way to avoid putting a bullet in someone. I don't know if Ward had you on the ground while he took the shot but…" May waited for Skye to respond.

"I took the shot. Clean kill. Ward didn't try anything." Skye spoke robotically.

"He didn't? No plays on your sympathies? No monologues about how S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA are one and the same?" May pressed.

"No, he didn't try _anything. _Now can I take a nap like the doctor ordered or do I have to keep playing 20 questions?" Skye argued. She felt a pang of nostalgia at the attitude. She hadn't spoken like that to anyone in a long time.

May shook her head and left the room. Skye stared at the floor for a long moment before laying down across the bed. She fisted her pillow and forced her eyes closed in an attempt to get a couple fitful hours of sleep.

Ward was sat in a chair in Coulson's office. Coulson was flipping through an old S.H.I.E.L.D. file making a point to avoid speaking with Ward.

Ward shuffled in his seat uncomfortably. Coulson glanced up and took note of the pained smile on Ward's face before closing the file.

"How'd the mission go?" Coulson dispensed with the pleasantries. He wanted the information and he wanted it yesterday.

"The target's dead; no one knows he's missing." Ward answered smoothly.

"How did she do?" Coulson went to the important quicker than Ward anticipated. He at least thought Coulson would want some details on the mission and the implications the death had on HYDRA.

"She's good. Better with a rifle than I would have thought. May did a good job with her." Ward spoke affectionately. There was no sense in hiding his feelings since Coulson explicably used them to get him to make the assessment.

"How's she feeling?" Coulson asked quietly.

"Disenfranchised puts it mildly. She's horrified, at S.H.I.E.L.D., at you, at herself. She didn't want to take the shot but she wouldn't risk disappointing you." What Coulson thought was confidence in Ward's tone was actually experience.

Coulson's stomach dropped hearing what Ward had to say. What had he done to make her lose faith? Killing was something that S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had to do every day. Why was Skye having problems with it? Were they pushing her too hard? Were they asking too much? She was young but she had such potential.

"She wants me to stay." Ward spoke up suddenly.

"Really?" Coulson wondered why Ward hung around. He was fully expecting Skye to call them after the job was done and tell them Ward stole the jet or something and escaped.

"What do you say?" Ward was interested in hearing what Coulson would have in mind.

"You're more useful in the field than in a cage. I don't like it but we don't exactly have the resources to make the preferred choices." Coulson reasoned.

"What are my limits?" Ward knew he wouldn't be given free run of the base and its contents.

"You'll be assigned a room and you'll obviously be under strict supervision. Past that, I want you to help out with the field missions." Coulson explained.

Ward nodded his consent and stood from his seat. Coulson walked over to him and motioned for Ward to follow.

They walked down the stairs and Coulson lead him to a hallway with doors on either side. Coulson opened the third door on the left and Ward saw a single bunk, a dresser next to it with an alarm clock, and a door which must've lead to an enclosed bathroom.

"Right out of the 1950's is it?" Ward smirked.

"'40's actually. You share a bathroom with Hunter but other than that, the whole thing's yours." Coulson said before he made a brisk pace back to his office.

Ward walked in and shut the door. Turning towards the bed he saw a couple boxes sitting near the end of it. He opened them to see the few belongings he had on the BUS. He assumed May boxed up his stuff from that spare room after Coulson told her he was staying out of the basement.

Ward put the few books he had on top of the dresser before filling the drawers with his clothes. He pulled out the purple Henley he had on the day Skye found out he was HYDRA.

The blood stains were still there as were the puncture marks right where his heart would've been. The device Peterson struck him with left a permanent scar on his chest, but it wasn't anything new. Ward had plenty of battle scars already, one more wasn't of any consequence.

The patrons were moving through the courtyard at a leisurely pace. Ward was sat on a bench patiently waiting for the target to arrive.

Skye took a calming breath as she adjusted her grip on the rifle. If there was a firefight she didn't want stiff fingers slowing down her fire rate.

Ward told her that the target was in view. She looked at him. He didn't look all that special. Normal built guy but Skye knew that was the perfect candidate for HYDRA, someone who wouldn't be noticed.

Ward took him to the alley and Skye followed them through the scope of her rifle.

Once Ward got the information, Skye clicked the safety off of the rifle. She held her breath to steady her aim, and fired.

The bullet struck the side of her target's head. Blood splattered against the brick wall as the body slumped to the ground lifeless.

Skye released her breath, nothing.

No guilt.

No pain.

No remorse.

Nothing but a buzzing numbness in her veins.

Skye shot up in bed. Her breath was ragged. Her skin was cold.

She glanced at the clock on her dresser, 9:50 PM. She's been asleep for a little more than three hours.

Her stomach growled, stopping her thoughts. Skye didn't exactly ask Ward to stop at a drive thru on the way back and they hadn't eaten anything since the pizza last night.

Skye got out of the bed. She took off her tactical jacket and stumbled out of the room.

The kitchen was empty and for that Skye was grateful. She wasn't in the mood for talking to anyone right now. She opened the freezer and pulled out one of the TV dinners.

_Would it kill someone to go to the damn grocery store? _Skye thought sadly as she put the plastic tray in the microwave. She opened the fridge and pulled out one of the cheap beers Lance kept buying in bulk.

Skye popped the cap and took a long swallow. The carbonated beverage trickled down her throat and Skye released a pleased sigh.

She laid her head on the crook of her elbow on the table. Before her mind could fully relax the microwave beeped. Skye was tempted to ignore it but her empty stomach denied her the respite.

She rose from the table and got her meager food out of the microwave. The TV dinners were supplemental but they tasted like Styrofoam to anyone with a single taste bud.

Skye ate her meal in silence. She hated the quiet. It made her mind wander and she didn't need that. She didn't need to think about things. It was murdering her sleep schedule.

Skye was pulled out of her mind when she heard the telltale thump of the punching bag from the gym. The PLAYGROUND was so eerily quiet that she could hear the noise from the floor below her.

Skye's curiosity got the better of her and she found herself walking down the stairs to the gym. The room was dark but Skye's eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough in the last few months that she could make out the tall, broad figure assaulting the bag.

"Ward," Skye called. He stopped his workout and grabbed the bag to steady it. He turned to look at her in the dark. He knew it was her as soon as she walked down the stairs. He memorized the weight of her footsteps since she started visiting him in his cell.

"Coulson's letting you stay out?" She asked confusedly.

"Yeah, but it came with some, conditions." Ward said as he held up the silver band with a small blinking red light.

Skye nodded her head in understanding. The security bracelet reminded her of the one she had to wear after the Miles incident. His probably had different restrictions but the same principle, Coulson was watching.

"What are you doing down here?" Skye asked.

"Well, the new recruits are on a mission, Fitzsimmons are on a supply run with the big guy, and May's with Coulson in his office, so I thought I'd come down here and get a quick workout in." He spoke calmly.

Skye saw the deep stains in his t-shirt and knew he'd been down here for at least a couple of hours. She found her throat drying as she took in the disheveled appearance he had. She was numb to everything but him apparently.

"Skye?" Ward called. His voice pulled her out of her trance.

"Do you need something?" Ward asked.

"No, no. I was just…" Skye trailed off as she shuffled her feet and found the floor more interesting than the lingering gaze Ward had fixed on her.

"What's wrong?" Ward asked softly as he hooked his finger under her chin and made her look up at him. Skye became aware at how close he was found her body loosening up.

"I, I had a nightmare." Skye muttered with her eyes hung low.

Ward wrapped her in a tight embrace, cradling her head against his chest. He pressed a kiss to the top of her hair and Skye's eyes struggled to stay open.

It would have been so easy to fall asleep on him right there and then. He held her there for what seemed like hours but was only a few moments. Skye brought her arms up and wrapped them around his torso when she felt him try to release her.

She didn't want him to let her go, not yet. Not ever.

"Can I stay with you?" Skye asked timidly. She sounded like a small child but she didn't care.

"Yeah, just let me get a shower." Ward answered. He kept her hand in his on the short walk back to his room.

Skye's eyes scanned the room. The items were sparse but that didn't surprise her. His bunk on the BUS didn't have much in it besides a few books and a couple board games.

Ward walked into the bathroom he shared with Hunter and left Skye alone with her thoughts.

She sat on the bed and played with the hem of her pants trying not to think about Ward in the shower. She heard the water running and could see the outline of steam in the crack under the door.

Skye's body moved of its own accord making its way inside the bathroom. Ward had the door of the shower closed but Skye could see the outline of his naked body through the steam filled glass.

Skye shed all her clothing and pulled the door open. Ward had a dubious smirk on his face when his eyes fell on her and Skye returned the gesture.

"I was going to need a shower anyway and why waste more water than we need to?" Skye said with a sultry tone as her hands wound behind Ward's neck.

She pulled his head down to hers and their lips met in a hungry kiss. Ward's hands came to rest on her hips and pulled Skye flushed against him.

Skye's hands wandered down his toned torso and Ward shivered under her touch. Ward's hands moved under her legs to grasp her thighs and he lifted her to his eye level. She wrapped her legs around his waist and felt his erection rest at her entrance.

Ward entered her in one long stroke and they groaned in unison. Ward pushed her against the wall and started thrusting. Skye started panting at the fire he set alight in her blood.

Skye started clawing at the exposed skin of his shoulders and Ward hissed as the hot water made contact with the scratched skin. Skye chuckled against his neck and Ward took her lips in feverish kiss. Their tongues tangled around each other and deep groans escaped them both when Ward angled his hips to start bumping against Skye's clit.

Skye bit down on his lower lip when she felt her climax approaching. Ward pressed his forehead against hers when he felt the familiar tingle in his spine that warned him of his climax fast oncoming.

Skye was chewing on Ward's pulse point when one of his hands snaked down to her center to strum her clit between his thumb and forefinger. Skye buried her face in the crook of Ward's neck and screamed in pleasure.

Hopefully the base really was empty and no one heard them.

Ward stilled as he came spilling deep inside Skye. He held her close and Skye started lapping up the sweat and water from his skin.

"I don't think we're very clean." Ward joked.

"No, but Coulson's pretty strict on the water bill so maybe we should continue this elsewhere?" Skye mused as she took his sensitive ear between her teeth.

Ward groaned before he turned the dial on the shower and the water stopped pouring. He pulled out of her and set her down on her feet. Skye's legs weren't that strong and she held onto Ward's arm to keep herself upright. He handed her a towel and they dried together.

"Come here," Skye called as she pulled Ward's head down to her level to start kissing all over his face again as she backed out of the bathroom.

She felt the back of her knees hit the mattress and Ward fell on top of her. Skye wrapped her legs around his waist and flipped them over so she was on top.

Skye palmed his erection and leaned into his ear. "I'm staying with you tonight." She spoke evenly before taking his ear back between her teeth.

Ward grasped her shoulders and picked her up before throwing her on top of the pillows before assaulting her mouth with his own again.

"Fine with me," He spoke before he sunk into her warmth again.

Skye was draped across Ward lazily satisfied and barely awake when she felt his fingers card through her hair.

"What was your nightmare about?" Ward asked quietly.

"I don't want to talk about it." Skye denied as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"You need to eventually Skye." Ward pushed.

"Not tonight, please." Skye pleaded. Tears were wetting Ward's already sweat-slicked skin.

"Tomorrow then." Ward affirmed.

"Fine." Skye said before she succumbed to the pull of sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Adjusting

When Lance got back to base one of the first things he wanted was a nice shower. The mission had him caked in sweat from all the running he had to do.

Damn Bobbi! She made him hightail it out of there before the target even got in range because someone made them in the club and security was a bitch! He had to run three miles in a suit, not his best plan.

When he walked into the bathroom Lance became acutely aware of two things. One, Ward was a messy person to share a bathroom with. Two, apparently he didn't enjoy showering alone because Lance could see the purple bra on the floor.

He opened the door connecting Ward's room to the bathroom to yell at him but any protests he had got lost in his throat when he saw the sight.

Skye was burrowed into Ward's chest sleeping like a log while Ward had his arms wrapped around her shoulders holding her tightly against him. Skye's face was obscured from vision from where she had it pressed against Ward's chest.

Lance nodded his head in understanding. He didn't know Skye all that well, but he understood what she was going through, any soldier did. Killing people took its toll on you, no matter how righteous the purpose was.

The toll was what drove him and Bobbi together all those years ago. The attraction was there immediately but the toll was what drove them to the sheets. They wanted someone who could understand that talking wasn't big on their mind.

He picked up Skye's clothes and chucked them onto Ward's floor. He then closed the door and left the two to sleep.

When Skye's eyes opened she became acutely aware of the blinking red numbers on the alarm clock. Her hand flailed from the bed to over the dresser until she knocked the offending clock onto the ground.

She was curled into Ward's body like an infant. Her head was comfortably resting in the crook made by his bicep and chest. She yawned into Ward's chest and a small smiled splayed on her face.

Skye placed a small kiss to Ward's neck. He turned to look at her with eyes shrouded in sleep.

"Good morning," He greeted with a small smile and a hoarse voice.

"Morning," Skye replied with a similar expression. She kissed him softly and heard a weak groan from Ward.

Ward deepened the kiss and rolled them over so that he was hovering above her. Skye wrapped her arms around Ward's neck and brought their chests flushed together.

A knock on the door made them break the kiss. Skye groaned and pouted at Ward. He chuckled and kissed her quickly before grabbing a pair of pants and answering the door.

Skye buried herself under the sheets in a mock attempt to hide herself.

Ward opened the door to see Coulson standing there with a file.

"I'm sorry is this a bad time?" Coulson asked deadpanned.

"No?" Ward blearily answered.

"Good, May wants to go over your deal. Meet me in my office in 30 minutes." Coulson ordered as he handed over the file and walked away.

Ward closed the door and walked over to the dresser. He pulled out more appropriate clothes and started getting dressed. Skye pulled herself out of the covers and looked at him expectantly.

"He wants to go over the deal apparently." Ward sighed as he pulled on a t-shirt.

"I got that much, what deal? You helped on a mission he gives you more freedom. _That _sounds like a deal." Skye said with her arms folded under her chest. The action wasn't as intimidating as she'd hoped it to be once she realized that she was topless so she was just pushing her breasts into his vision.

Ward chuckled and picked her shirt up off the floor and threw it to her.

"Get dressed and get something to eat. This shouldn't take too long." Ward assured.

"You're not the boss of me," Skye feebly argued but her stomach growled making Ward chuckle again.

"Shut up," Skye muttered as she started pulling her clothes on.

Ward left the file on his bed. He didn't need it. He already had a good idea of what they would want to talk about.

Ward stood outside Coulson's office and knocked softly before hearing the muffled "come in." He opened the door and saw May standing on one side of the desk with Coulson on the other. She had her arms crossed and shoulders tensed making Ward think that they were in a particularly heated discussion.

"Am I interrupting?" He asked with trepidation.

"No, sit down." Coulson said simply as May turned to look at Ward. She didn't seem happy with the current arrangement but something made her keep her opinions to herself.

"What's this all about?" Ward asked finally not caring for the secretiveness.

"When I asked you to make an assessment I did not say sleep with her!" May growled.

Ward nodded and looked away for a second as he gathered his thoughts.

"You asked me to make an assessment and I did." He leaned forward and braced his forearms on his knees. "She's unstable. This line of work is hurting her but she won't say anything, not to you, Simmons, Fitz, or anybody."

"Why?" Coulson asked quickly.

"She doesn't want you guys to think she's weak. She's scared if she does that you'll abandon her, like everyone else did." Ward solemnly.

"And she told you all this?" May asked in disbelief.

"She didn't have to. I know what she's going through. More than just the toughening up that the other agents seem to understand. I know what it's like to let people mold you, so that way they care about you. That way they don't leave." Ward cast his eyes downward. He had clarity on these things now but they were still tough to talk about.

"We weren't asking her to-"Coulson was cut off.

"You didn't have to." Ward interrupted. "She let you in willingly. You gave her something she never had, family. And she's not going to let it go."

"Even if we're killing her?" May asked quietly. She felt responsible. She was the one that taught her how to create the agent mask. She was the one that helped her refine her ability to conceal her emotions.

"I let a man hollow me out and let another fill me with what he wanted, for almost 30 years. Skye's not going to stop after six months." Ward explained.

"Do we take her off mission rotation?" Coulson asked. He didn't know how to help her in this situation. He gave his life S.H.I.E.L.D. sure, but it was always on his own morals.

"No," Ward surprised them. "You both need to stop this." Ward gestured to them behind the desk. "Next time she gets back on a mission, do more than pat her on the back and give her the next one."

"What would you suggest?" Coulson was at a loss here.

Ward chuckled darkly. He rubbed a hand across his face, his fingers going through the curled hairs of his beard. He took a deep breath and a sad smile grew on his face.

"The fact that you're asking tells me you don't have a damn clue how to help her." Ward said gravely.

"And you do?" May asked incredulously.

"No, like I said I understood the problem, I never said anything about the solution. That part's up to her." Ward said calmly.

"Why is she so calm around you?" May finally asked. The first few weeks after killing Garrett Skye was furious with Ward.

"I guess she sees a kindred spirit, something familiar. I don't ask her to fight, if anything I ask her to stop. Ward answered honestly.

"Do you have any idea on what we could do?" Ward could see the desperation eminent in Coulson's eyes.

"No, I don't." Ward answered.

"That's all, you're dismissed." Coulson waved him off.

Ward nodded and stood. He left the office and made his way back to his room. He assumed Skye left when he saw the empty bed and her clothes were missing from the floor.

Ward picked the clock off the floor and placed it back on the dresser. The most damage it seemed to have from Skye's morning flailing was a scratch on the top.

He started making the bed. The precision military school instilled in him made itself known when he checked to make sure the sheets were tucked in neatly at the corners and the pillows were in the precise center of the bed.

As Ward looked at his handiwork he became aware of a presence behind him. He turned to see the guy he fought the other day.

"Glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't leave their bunk in shambles." The guy acknowledged from the doorway.

"Old behavior from the Specialist days. It's Hunter right?" Ward greeted extending his hand.

"Yeah, Lance Hunter." He shook Ward's hand before crossing his arms back across his chest. "So you're Grant Ward, the turncoat?"

"Yeah," Ward winced.

"How's she doing?" Hunter dispensed with the small talk.

"Better than she was last week I guess." Ward spoke tiredly. He didn't need everyone asking him how Skye was doing. They could see for themselves.

Skye was typing on her laptop. She was writing a security code for the new comm. pieces that Mack and Fitz made while she was away. It kept her busy. It kept her mind off of things. Things she'd rather not think about.

Ward.

She was supposed to hate him. Everyone else did. Coulson only put up with him because it was tactical. Ward was more useful in the field. The only snag was Skye was the one who had to go with him whenever he got an assignment.

It wasn't like Skye completely minded it. He gave her something she needed, release. A couple days of weightlessness that allowed her to breathe. He gave her someone who understood what she was doing to herself and unlike everyone else, she could convince him to stop talking about it.

Skye shook her head to get the thoughts out. She needed to think on the task at hand, that was what kept her mind clear. She rechecked the code and saw a few misplaced variables. Sloppy.

Tired, would've been a better word. The past few nights have been some of the best sleep she'd gotten in months and Skye wanted more. Ward could add "pillow" to his skillset.

Skye peered up above the computer after a few more minutes of working to see Ward standing in front of her with two mugs of coffee. She smiled sweetly without knowing and gestured for him to set next to her.

Ward gave her the hot beverage and Skye took a healthy sniff. The hot steam jarred her senses enough to clear the cobwebs that took place when she set to work an hour ago. Ward looked at the screen and saw the flowcharts and binary screens writing themselves.

"What'cha doing?" Ward asked.

"I'm writing new security software for the comm. pieces that Mack and-"Skye stopped speaking. She wasn't supposed to tell him this stuff. She shut the laptop and put it on the coffee table before finding her mug particularly interesting.

Ward nodded in understanding. "Probation, not trust. I got it." He assumed as he stood from the couch. He gave her one last glance but Skye kept her attention solely on her mug.

Ward walked out of the room leaving Skye alone with her thoughts. She took a sip of the coffee, French roast with a hint of cream and 8 sugars, just how she liked it when he made it for her on the BUS.

Skye chuckled sadly at the memory. She wasn't supposed to fall into old habits with him. He was in a better standing with Coulson sure but he still did a lot of damage and she had forgotten that. It was just so easy to forget, to pretend that everything he did didn't happen. It made things like last night easier. Those were things she hadn't even been able to do when she was with Miles.

Skye was finalizing the security software for the comm. when Simmons walked in the room. Skye looked up at the doorway she was standing in. The biochemist had an uncomfortable small smile on her face and Skye remembered that Simmons couldn't have been back for more than a day or two.

"Hey," Skye greeted with a small smile of her own.

"Hi," Simmons spoke tensely. Something was wrong.

"What is it?" Skye voiced her concerns.

"Why is Ward walking around? Did something happen while I was gone?" She asked with bitterness lacing her tone.

Skye took a deep breath and contemplated her answer. She didn't want to tell Simmons about last night or the hotel or the night in Ward's cell so she stuck with something basic.

"Coulson thinks Ward's more useful in the field than in his cell. He doesn't trust him but it's not like we have Specialists pouring out of the woodworks anymore." Skye tells her with her grip on the mug tightening slightly.

"Do you trust him?" Simmons asked quietly.

"Did anything exciting happen at HYDRA?" Skye deflected.

"Oh, well, I uh, I found some interesting files that surprisingly weren't leaked from the S.H.I.E.L.D. servers during the Fall." Simmons didn't like the deflection but she didn't feel like she had any right to know what was going on Skye's private life when she didn't let Skye in hers.

"Research files or Index stuff?" Skye poked. A distraction was welcomed.

"Mostly psych evaluations on Academy students. My guess was they were trying to see which recruits would be the most susceptible to HYDRA's version of the 'welcome wagon.'" Simmons prattled off the details with ease. This was comfortable, an easy conversation to ignore what they didn't want to talk about.

Before they could continue their conversation Skye heard May rap her knuckles against the doorway. They looked at her and waited to hear their orders.

"Briefing in 10," Was all May said before walking away. Skye closed the lid on her laptop and stood from the couch. She took one last swig from her mug before placing it on the coaster.

"In Seattle, Washington, an HVT is going to be making an appearance in front of a stockholder meeting for Quinn Worldwide. We need to incapacitate him and bring him back here for questioning." Coulson spoke with authority to the agents gathered in the room.

Skye's eyes fell on Ward. He was standing off to the corner with his arms crossed across his chest. The others pretended he wasn't there but Skye couldn't. She knew he was in the room before anyone else.

She glanced over at Fitz and saw him standing there with his eyes glued to the display Coulson was using as a prop. He didn't make any protests of having Ward around and for that Skye was grateful. She didn't want to have to pick a side anymore.

Mack, Hunter, and the new Agent Morse acted like nothing in the room was out of the ordinary. To them it wasn't. Hunter and Mack were brought in after the Fall and Morse had only spoken with Coulson through neutral sights before going undercover in HYDRA. They didn't know anything about what happened with the Team and Ward.

Skye focused back on the mission briefing as Coulson started assigning the various jobs.

"Hunter, Morse, I want you two on the floor. The HVT doesn't know your faces.

"Fitz, Mack I need the ICER formula in a small syringe that won't be detectable by security and Agent Morse can dispense quickly into the target.

"Skye and Ward you two are on over watch. If the target makes them shoot to wound. Under no circumstances should he see either of you or this mission is compromised do you understand?" The question was directed at both of them, but Coulson focused his attention Skye.

"Yes, Sir." They said in unison.

"Any questions?" Coulson asked.

"I got one, who's the target?" Mack spoke up.

Coulson sighed knowing he wasn't going to get away with "that's classified" if Mack brought it up.

"The target is Ian Quinn." Skye's eyes raised at that.

"Ian Quinn, eccentric billionaire Ian Quinn? The same Ian Quinn that's too good to hire 'lowly mercenary' for security detail once in a while." Hunter prattled off bitterly.

"The same." Coulson answered with the hint of a smile on a face.

Ward's eyes moved to Skye. She was standing there blank faced and shoulders rigid, the same stance he always had when getting orders. He didn't bother thinking on how Skye was dealing with Quinn being the target, he was more concerned with the stone-like face she had plastered on to hide her obvious discomfort with the mission.

"If there's nothing else, you have thirty minutes to prep for takeoff. I'll see all of you on the BUS." Coulson adjourned.

Skye hung back in the room as everyone filed out. Ward stayed in the corner with his arms crossed and a lost look on his face. It crossed Skye's mind that aside from Coulson's office and Vault D, Ward hadn't seen much of the PLAYGROUND.

Skye started disconnecting the monitors from the main hub and looked at the photo of Ian Quinn. It was recent, that much she could tell. He was wearing one of his crisp designer suits and holding a champagne glass in a room full of business people.

Ward kept his eyes trained on Skye. He made note of her tensed shoulders and pursed lips. She was nervous. Something that Agents weren't allowed to broadcast during a briefing and sure as hell not on missions. It was a good way to die.

He looked at the photo of Quinn with disgust. That piece of shit shot Skye and left her for dead. Ward wasn't _good, _but he wasn't so much of a bastard he would leave his enemy suffering, he would at least end it then and there.

"Are you OK?" Ward spoke up haphazardly.

"I'm fine." Skye spoke tensely. She shut down the files and walked out of the room making her way to the armory to gear up.

The Team had geared up and were mission ready. May was flying the BUS over Washington making the way to Seattle. Fitz, Simmons, and Mack were in the cargo hold making the ICER variation Coulson requested while Morse and Hunter were checking their weapons.

Skye was sitting on a chair in the lounge checking and rechecking the ammo in her guns while looking over the hardcopies of the mission briefing.

Ward was sat not too far from her and was busy mapping out their vantage point and going over the variables. As it stood, if Quinn made the newbies and spotted Skye or Ward, the best exit plan was to make for the back of the rooftop they were on, hop over to the next. That building was apparently an industrial center and should have a lot of moving bodies, making it easy to blend in and disappear.

Ward's planning was interrupted by the clank of a bullet on the coffee table followed by a low curse. He looked up to see Skye picking up the bullet and try to put it back in the magazine. Her fingers were shaking and she was chewing on her bottom lip.

There was this faraway look in Skye's eyes that told Ward she wasn't thinking about loading the magazine. It reminded him of when she would be working on her laptop before a mission. It was what she used to ease her nerves.

"Everything alright?" He asked quietly. She wasn't in a mood to talk and he understood why.

"It's- I just, are we _really _going after Quinn?" Skye asked with disbelief etched into her features.

"That's what the orders are. What do you think we're after?" Ward pushed.

"I don't know, but why would Coulson have me on a mission dealing with the guy that shot me. Twice." Skye's eyes had narrowed as the words left her lips.

"Why would he have the double agent sitting on his plane with a gun in his reach?" Ward shot back throwing his eyes to the pistol he kept near the map.

Skye nodded at that and stood. She walked over to the seat Ward was in and sat on the arm. Ward leaned back to look at her and she took the chance to slouch into his lap and rest her head against his bicep.

"This is why." Skye told him simply as her hand unconsciously fisted the front of his shirt.

Ward's fingers started threading themselves through her hair and Ward released a deep breath he didn't know he was holding. How bad were things while he was locked up?

Skye closed her eyes and huddled into Ward's chest attempting to just forget what they were doing. Coulson wanted information from the man that shot her! It didn't make any sense, everyone hated him.

But Skye was a good soldier, she wasn't going to speak about matters she had no say in, not anymore.


	8. Chapter 8

Good or Bad?

Skye was startled awake when she felt Ward shaking her shoulder. She grumbled and curled deeper into his chest.

"It's time for the job, Skye. You need to get up." Ward spoke calmly.

Skye opened her eyes and peered up at him. He was standing there with May looking over his shoulder. Skye huffed out a short breath and stood from where she was lying across Ward's lap. She picked up her gun from the table and walked over to her bunk.

Ward sat there and watched her leave. Skye slept on him for a good two hours while May set the auto-landing programs. When May walked out and saw Skye resting comfortably, Ward would have sworn that he saw the beginnings of a smile on her face.

Skye laced up her boots and wrapped her cowl around the shoulders of her top. The gloves restricted some of her hands' mobility but the metal knuckles made for a mean right hook when she needed it. She wasn't as physically strong as Ward or even May, but the gloves helped out.

She holstered her pistol and debated grabbing her ICER from her nightstand. If by the off chance that Quinn saw them Skye could at least knock him out with it. That way the mission wouldn't be a total loss.

Skye picked up the gun and placed it in the holster at the back of her pants. Better safe than sorry.

Ward was already in the cargo hold with his vest strapped on and equipment laced across his body. He was packing the sniper kit into the duffel bag for travel when Skye placed her hand on top of his. Ward turned to look at her and she had another ICER in her hand.

"In case he does spot us we won't blow the mission entirely." Skye explained.

Ward nodded and slid the ICER into the extra holster on his hip.

"Have you blown a mission while I was down there?" Ward asked gently. Skye blinked and swallowed at the thought.

"The mission with Creel, we were raiding a base for an O-8-4, and we lost a couple people doing that. The thing they didn't know, was that wasn't the real mission." Skye cast her eyes down as the memories started replaying in her head.

"What was it then?" Ward pushed.

"We needed a Quinjet. We didn't have any stealth tech working and Fitz wasn't getting it done fast enough. So, we broke into a military base, and stole one of theirs. But to do that, we needed a distraction. Izzy and Idaho, they weren't supposed to die, but, they weren't exactly going get out of there unscathed." Skye's hand had started shaking again and she clenched her fist to make it stop.

Ward saw her do that and he grabbed her forearm before pulling her into his chest.

"It wasn't your fault." Ward said quietly. Skye nodded and clenched the front of his vest in her hands trying to get her breathing back under control. She didn't speak and Ward didn't believe she agreed with him.

"Are we better than them?" Skye asked with a voice so quiet that had Ward's hearing not been what it was he wouldn't have caught the question.

Ward let out a long breath through his nose before wrapping his arms around her and running a hand through her hair.

"_You _are," Ward stressed that to her. S.H.I.E.L.D. was the same as HYDRA in his eyes and Coulson hasn't done anything to change that.

"Hate to ruin the moment you two, but uh, time to go." Came Hunter's voice from behind Skye. Ward kisses her forehead and a small smile appeared on her face without her knowing.

Skye was climbing the ladder of the fire escape. Ward trailed behind her with the sniper kit across his shoulder. Skye had her own bag holding the binoculars and a few flash bangs should they be needed.

Skye pulled herself over the railing on the roof and walked over to the ventilation shaft protruding from the air conditioner. She sat her bag down as she heard Ward's footsteps behind her.

Ward was already assembling the rifle and Skye peered through the binoculars to see if she could catch a sight on Quinn. She glanced back at Ward and saw him tightening the suppressor on the barrel.

"I could do that you know, take the shot." She offered.

"No offense, but I've seen you make headshots, not leg shots." Ward said calmly.

Skye scoffed. "What, you don't think I could do it?"

"I don't know. But I'd rather we find out in a shooting range and not with an HVT. I don't want you to get in trouble with Coulson." Ward said the last part quietly and it made Skye's chest tightened. He thought her and Coulson had the same relationship as him and Garrett.

Didn't they? Sure, Coulson never hurt her but that didn't mean there wouldn't be punishment for failure. Instead of a beating Skye would probably get inventory duty for a week or two.

The work she could deal with, the disappointment, not so much. When Coulson got that sad look in his eyes and pursed his lips into a thin line Skye's heart shattered. She wasn't supposed to screw up but she did every once in a while. May would tell her not to worry about it and that Coulson wasn't mad but Skye didn't want him to be disappointed.

Skye was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of Ward chambering a round in a rifle. The metallic click was a triggering sound or her and made her mind blank.

"Do you have eyes on Quinn?" Ward asked as he peered through the scope to see the ballroom.

"Not yet, give me a minute." Skye replied as she looked back through the binoculars.

The ballroom was filled to capacity with various businessmen and politicians. They held champagne glasses with eloquence Skye couldn't understand over their designer suits. Women hung off of the men arms either as arm candy or as a politician herself. They talked and laughed animatedly and Skye briefly wondered if their lives were any different than hers.

Lie, steal, interrogate, wasn't it all the same? Did those people sleep easier at night knowing that they never had to put a bullet in someone?

Skye's thoughts were silenced when she caught sight of Ian Quinn standing over by the band. He was tapping a spoon on his glass gathering the attention of the patrons.

"Hunter, I've got eyes on Quinn, you two ready to dance?" Skye spoke into her comm.

"Of course, love, just leave it to us." Hunter spoke quietly into his comm., careful to avoid being spotted. He was wearing a crisp suit to blend in with the crowd.

Bobbi came up behind him wearing a silk dress that was on par with the designer ensemble in the ballroom. She looped her arm through his and they walked briskly to where Quinn was giving his speech.

"-I have been away for a while, and for that I apologize. My hope, is that we can move past my absence and continue on the journey Quinn Worldwide has had since its founding, advancing technology for the betterment of the human race." Quinn spoke with the ease of a seasoned business man with a tongue of silver.

"You got the syringe Simmons gave you?" Hunter asked with a hushed whisper.

"It's in the bracelet. Get me close to him and I'll knock him out." Bobbie replied briskly keeping her eye on Quinn who was smilingly briefly at her.

Ward kept his eye firmly pressed against the rifle scope and on Quinn as he made his piece with the patrons. His fingers flexed around the trigger experimentally and briefly wondered what the punishment would be if he just took the bastard out once and for all.

Skye watched his fingers, hoping he would take the shot. Quinn didn't deserve to anything less than a couple bullets in his stomach, let him see how it feels.

"How you feeling about this?" Ward spoke up.

"We're attempting to capture the man that shot me in the stomach and left me to die in a basement. How do you think I'm doing?" Skye huffed.

"Pissed. The job's almost done, just hang in there." Ward spoke calmly.

Skye huffed out a short breath and leaned against the ventilation shaft with the binoculars pressed against her eyes. She watched Quinn mill about the floor with a predator's ease.

Her fingers tightened around the binoculars to the point of her hearing the plastic groan from the force.

"_HVT almost acquired. Bobbi's making her move. Once we're finished, we'll exfil from the area._" Hunter's voice ringed through her ears. Skye's grip loosened on the binoculars and she saw it.

Bobbi was flirting with Quinn. She was trailing her fingers up and down his suit-clad arm and was trying to convince him to walk out of the main ballroom and into the hall. Quinn wasn't buying it though and Skye could see the recognition appearing on his face.

"He's about to make them." Skye concluded as she turned to Ward.

He clicked the safety off the rifle and replanted his feet.

"Ward you can't take a shot at him. There's too many people." Skye hissed.

Ward didn't listen, he adjusted his aim and picked his target.

He fired.


	9. Chapter 9

Consequences

The bullet pierced the windshield of a car in the parking lot next to the building. The car alarm went off and provided a distraction that caught the attention of several of the patrons in the ballroom.

While they moved towards the windows to see what all the commotion was about Bobbie grabbed Quinn by the forearm and pulled him into the hallway.

She placed the bracelet on her wrist against his neck and the needle embedded in it shot the adrenodendrotoxin into Quinn's bloodstream. He passed out nearly instantly and slumped into Bobbi's arms.

Hunter came up behind her and threw Quinn over his shoulders. They started making their exit. Skye followed them to the fire escape with the binoculars before throwing them back in the bag.

"Come on, we have to get to the van." Skye said as she saw Ward disassemble the rifle and place the pieces back in the duffel bag.

Ward threw the duffel bag over his shoulder and started climbing down the ladder of the fire escape with Skye trailing behind him. He knew he scared her with that shot. She wasn't expecting it and if there was one thing he learned about her on the BUS, was that she hated surprises. He didn't like them much either.

Bobbi was tapping her heel against the pavement. Skye and Ward were sure taking their sweet time getting the van over here.

Hunter had Quinn's body propped against the wall away from the view of the street. He was leaning against the opposite wall and sparing the occasional glance at Bobbi.

Ward pulled the van into the alley with Skye in the passenger seat. Bobbi and Hunter stood to attention when they saw Ward step out of the vehicle.

"About bloody time you got here mate." Hunter chastised when he bent down and picked Quinn off the ground.

Ward smirked and opened the back door of the van. Bobbie climbed in first followed by Ward and Hunter laying Quinn against the wall. Hunter climbed in and sat on one of the seats opposite of Bobbie. Ward climbed back into the driver seat and started driving back towards the highway.

"So how was the party?" Skye piped up from the passenger seat. She had her laptop on her knees wiping away the security footage from the building.

"Ah, you know, annoying dignitaries and all that." Hunter joked.

Skye cracked a small smile at the attempt and returned to scrubbing the footage. Ward glanced into the rearview mirror and saw Bobbi kick Hunter in the shin playfully. It occurred to Ward that they had a history.

Skye got out of the van as soon as they were back on the BUS. She had her laptop tucked under her arm and one of the duffels thrown over the opposite shoulder. She dropped the bag with Mack before making her way up the stairs.

Ward walked to the back of the van and helped Hunter move Quinn to the Cage. Walking up the stairs backwards proved to be a little difficult with an unconscious man.

There was a cot in the Cage that Hunter and Ward strewn Quinn across. Ward knew the adrenodendrotoxin would wear off in about another hour and he wanted to make sure Skye wouldn't do anything reckless.

Skye was sitting on one end of the couch writing various codes. Writing miscellaneous programs was a way she kept her mind busy when she lived in her van. Life was simple back then.

Now, her life involved kidnapping the man that shot her, and dealing with the cold stares like the one she got from Simmons when she got back to the BUS.

It wasn't her fault that Ward wasn't still in the Vault. That was Coulson's decision! Ward was more useful in the field that was all. It was a tactical decision that everyone should just accept and quit looking at her like she had something to do with it!

Her thoughts were interrupted with May sitting down in the chair in front of her. Skye raised her eyes from the screen and gave her SO a once over. May was wearing her normal attire, black shirt and dark pants, same as Skye's.

"How you feeling?" May asked.

"Fine, considering." Skye answered with her eyes downcast.

"I know it's difficult, having Quinn here, but he has information we need and we don't have the luxury of comfort anymore." May spoke with a quiet, steady tone that had Skye listening to every word.

"I know." Skye replied. She understood the reasons. She wasn't arguing them either.

"If it makes you feel better, Quinn's going in an even smaller cell than Ward got." May attempted to ease the younger agent's nerves.

Skye let out a small chuckle at that.

"What would help would be a couple bullets in _Quinn's _stomach, let him see how it feels." Skye seethed.

"There's no need for that." May chastised.

"Oh come on! We're keeping someone we know used to fund HYDRA! He funded the Deathlok Program! He's a psych-"Skye fumed. The lid on her anger was starting to come off.

"Skye!" May interrupted. "It is not our place to question Coulson. _He's _the Director, not us. If you can't get in line, there will be consequences."

Skye swallowed at that. She didn't need to relive the consequences from the last time she couldn't keep her mouth shut.

Skye threw her hands up in mock surrender and stormed out of the lounge. May sighed and placed her hand to her head to help stave off the coming headache.

Skye stormed down the stairs with her laptop under her arm. Hunter and Bobbi saw her and were about to try talking to her when she opened the door of the SUV and crawled inside before slamming the door shut.

"Wonder what's got her pissed off?" Hunter asked. Bobbi shrugged halfheartedly. She hadn't really had a chance to talk to Skye much since Coulson had her undercover at HYDRA since her recruitment to S.H.I.E.L.D.

Ward stood off to the corner. He was checking his guns when he heard the faint shouting from the lounge. He knew grabbing Quinn was going to mess with Skye no matter how much she tried to bury it down.

Quinn shot her. There was a lot of anger that never got to be handled after she was healed. HYDRA coming out of the woodwork made her have to put the anger aside. Now it occurred to Ward that maybe she hadn't just been using her anger towards _him _to fuel her training.

Ward reassembled the pistol in his hand before placing it on the rack. He walked passed Hunter and Bobbi and opened the door of the SUV he climbed into the seat next to Skye.

Skye was tapping away at her laptop with red rimmed eyes. She'd been crying, or at least fighting off crying.

"You OK?" Ward asked slowly giving her time to back out if needed.

"No," Skye choked out.

"What happened?" Ward didn't need to know but he figured talking about it might help her out some.

"They're mad at me." She sounded like a small child.

"And? I remember them getting mad at you quite a bit in the past." Ward attempted to joke.

"Last time May and Coulson got mad at me, May almost died." Skye's voice sounded like her mind had taken her somewhere.

"What did you do to make them mad?" Ward would let her talk. He would let her talk about whatever she needed to. He didn't take the offer when she made it in that bar so he's sure as hell not going to let her suffer from the silent screaming in her head.

"I was supposed to stay in the van. May and Trip were tailing an ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent trying to offload some old Intel. I thought I saw someone spot them and so I shot him with an ICER and hid him behind a dumpster.

"He was just an office worker taking a walk after lunch. Coulson lectured me for four hours on how I needed to 'think about the situation before acting' and May put me through an extra three hours of training.

"I wasn't allowed on the next mission. That mission May got shot in the shoulder and had to exfil on her own. I yelled at Coulson for not letting me be there to help her but all he said was that if I wanted to be on missions I had to be trusted." Skye stopped typing. Her hands were shaking furiously.

Ward burned with the urge to hold her, but he held back. Skye didn't need to be coddled. She needed help.

"You're afraid they don't trust you around Quinn." Ward surmised.

"I know they don't." Skye affirmed.

"Skye, you don-"

"You know what Quinn said to me at his mansion?" Skye cut him off. Ward shook his head no.

"He said that S.H.I.E.L.D. finds lost people, and gives them a home. But he also said that they take something away. What did they take from me?" Skye asked horrified.

Ward put his hand on top of one of ours to quell her shaking.

"They didn't take anything, Skye." Ward assured her.

"So I've always been this broken?" Skye asked.

Ward sighed and moved his hand from hers to wrap it around her shoulders and bring her into his side. He kissed the side of her head and held her for moment before speaking.

"You're not broken, at least not any more than anyone else." He spoke softly in her hair. Skye nodded and fisted the front of his shirt.

"If it makes you feel better, once there done I'll put a couple rounds in him." Ward offered.

"That does make me feel a little better." Skye mumbled into his chest.

"Okay, now are we going to sit in here all day or are we going to join the land of the living?" Ward asked with a teasing tone.

"Well, there's something else we could do. I mean I did find you shooting that rifle pretty hot." Skye whispered as she maneuvered around Ward so she was straddling his lap.

"And what might that be?" Ward asked with a smile playing on his lips.

"Something I think we both find fun," Skye breathed before she pulled Ward in for a deep kiss.


End file.
